Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 516
Chapter 516: 515 Wonderful Moments Chapter 516: 515 Wonderful Moments “Ha ha, haha.”
Ryder’s innocent and bright smile echoed through the restaurant just like that.
It startled the Italian couple as well as the night manager, drawing all their gazes at once.
Li Wei was about to stand up and do something when Ryder suddenly grabbed Li Wei’s left hand resting on the table, stopping him.
He turned toward the night manager and said, “A customer just gave me a tip, sorry, I couldn’t hold it in.”
Li Wei noticed that Ryder straightened his back, blocking him from view, clearly not wanting the night manager to notice the existence of the Super Bowl MVP.
The night manager glanced over, and seeing that the guests behind Ryder had no complaints, he bowed his head again and continued scrolling through his phone.
Ryder turned back, letting out a long breath, “Last time a New York Jets player was here, that guy circled around him for thirty minutes straight, like a fly, to the point that the player almost flipped the table.”
So that was it.
Li Wei sighed softly, “Wow, which player?”
Ryder waved his hand, “I’m not sure, seemed like someone from the Special Duty Group.”
Li Wei: …
...
Ryder: …
Their gazes collided, both corners of their mouths curving up, chuckling softly.
Ryder thought for a moment, “So, what does it feel like to be depressed?”
Li Wei was somewhat surprised but then again not so much.
Clearly, this matter must have troubled Ryder; it was what she cared about most at the moment.
Perhaps some may wonder why Ryder would choose to discuss this with a complete stranger.
But in fact, some words are harder to express to family and friends than to strangers.
With strangers, it’s much easier because they don’t know each other, have no relations, and after passing by might never see each other again.
It’s like pouring one’s troubles into a hollow tree—once the wind blows, they scatter.
Leaving no trace, no hurt.
This time.
Li Wei didn’t brush it off but seriously reminisced.
Off the field, another soul was living vividly and truly.
Whether in a past life or this one, people often define his existence by his performance in the game.
But in fact, the field is just a part of life.
Everyone has their sorrows and confusions.
“That feeling is like…”
“Like you can’t remember what normal feels like, and then you do things you think will make you feel better, but they don’t.”
“It just gets worse.”
“And those things you are scared of and fear might actually be what can help you.
But the thing is, you just can’t do it.”
“Then, you’re trapped.”
Calm, even with a faint smile on his face, but inadvertently revealing some bitterness and helplessness.
Ryder was stunned.
She blinked, hiding her disarray, then took a deep breath.
“My mother!” she said, “has bipolar disorder.”
“Sometimes, she’s so happy, as if the whole world brightens up.
But at other times, she just lies in bed, hiding in a corner, doing nothing, not even eating.”
Ryder looked toward Li Wei—
No sympathy, no pity, just quietly and equally listening.
That made Ryder’s smile widen too.
“I remember once, I asked her the same question.”
“She said that sometimes it’s easier to deal with being sad.
But she’s been fighting hard, very very hard.”
“But…”
The words stopped there, and Ryder couldn’t help but feel a bit disheartened.
Li Wei understood that sense of helplessness.
Li Wei tugged at the corner of his mouth, “Depression can make the brain think some things aren’t real; but sometimes, I wish people like your mother would believe what others say, instead of the voices inside their heads.”
“Of course, good people, not bad ones.”
“Like those who worry about their daughter.”
Ryder was startled, hurriedly raised his eyes, gave Li Wei a quick glance, revealing a restrained, shy smile, carefully hiding the panic and confusion in his eyes, along with a touch of being moved, rubbed his eyes vigorously, and showed a smile.
“Do you know what you look like right now?”
Li Wei noticed but didn’t call him out, “I don’t know.”
Ryder, “You look like the kindest person in the world.”
Li Wei, “Kind?
Not handsome?
Wait, so am I being friendzoned right now?”
Pfft.
Ryder couldn’t hold back, his smile fully blossomed, closely observing the astonishment and sadness on Li Wei’s face, which made his smile bloom even more joyfully.
But Ryder didn’t deny it.
The curve of Li Wei’s mouth also rose, “Do you know what you look like right now?”
Ryder nearly choked on his saliva, waving his hands frantically, “I don’t want to know…
I don’t care.” His mouth and eyes were full of smiles, “Everything feels so wonderful right now, I don’t want to change it, so I don’t want to know.
The only thing I want to change is that my elbow hurts.”
Li Wei blinked, “Elbow?
So, something like tennis elbow?
Oh, are you the next Sharapova, a super tennis star in the making?”
“Ha, hahaha.” Ryder laughed heartily again, “I’m not a tennis player; I, uh, I’m an actor, but I don’t have any works right now, only performed on Broadway once.”
“Wow, Broadway!” Li Wei exclaimed.
Ryder seemed somewhat shy, as if he didn’t want to discuss his performance on Broadway, “Elbow, that’s because both of us have been propping up the counter…”
As he spoke, Ryder raised his arms, showing Li Wei his elbows—
Just now, they had been propping up the counter with their elbows, chatting aimlessly while chewing on popsicles.
The conversation had inadvertently led to this posture, entirely forgetting their poor elbows.
Ryder didn’t mention it, and Li Wei hadn’t noticed.
Li Wei looked down at his own elbows, full of question marks, then at Ryder’s face, which wore a slightly shy smile, and then extended his own hands, palms up, placing them at Ryder’s elbows.
Just right, Ryder propped himself up on the counter again, but this time it wasn’t the cold, hard surface he remembered, but a warm, soft embrace enclosing his elbows.
Ryder was startled, his arms recoiling slightly, but then he saw Li Wei’s warm smile and inquiring gaze, which made him relax again.
Li Wei could feel Ryder’s arms trembling slightly, and his ears seemed to catch the erratic beating of the heart and the sound of boiling blood, but neither of them moved, just quietly looking at each other.
In their pupils, each other’s faces were reflected.
Unexpectedly, a heartbeat skipped.
Ryder and Li Wei both averted their gazes, pretending to look casually aside, but Ryder’s peripheral vision involuntarily drifted towards Li Wei, accidentally crashing into Li Wei’s sight.
Their gazes tangled together.
A startle.
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The two hurriedly looked away, but the corners of their mouths gently lifted, as if the touch of palms and elbows had linked their heartbeats together.
Ryder bashfully turned to look out the window, trying to completely avoid Li Wei’s line of sight, but he noticed the water of the Hudson River turning a thin orange glow.
The dense night was fading bit by bit, and the mysterious, amorous atmosphere melted away like ice and snow in the brightening light, abruptly bringing them back from a dreamy haze to reality.
“Ah, the sun, it’s come out.”
