Dominate the Super Bowl

In January, the sky over Kansas City is high and far, with an ice-blue expanse tinged with a faint smoky gray, emitting a sense of chill.

This winter is particularly cold, seemingly endless.

Reaching out with fingertips to touch the sunlight, a shallow heat dances at the fingertips, but no matter how far the stretch, it still can't touch the clouds in front.

So, fingers are drawn back, leaving the index finger to delicately trace the shape of the clouds, using the sky as a canvas, the finger as a brush, sketching out a majestic picture in the mind, sensing the faint warmth of the golden sunlight falling when squinting eyes.

"Hey, Felix, Happy New Year."

"Another new year, time flies so fast, it seems I haven't had a chance to catch my breath, and it's already the New Year."

"The weather is really nice today, good for running, training, and playing football."

"Remember what we said last time? You wanted to try running with the ball; I thought today would be a good time. It's perfect for exercise."

"Oh, such a pity, looks like we'll have to wait for another time. Someone found a perfect excuse to slack off; honestly, you just say you want to run the ball, right? Ha."

"...Sorry, it took until today to come see you, it's been a long, long time, too long, right?"

"But I know you've always been waiting, always fighting alongside us, so you must understand. How's our game going?"

Quietly, quietly lying on the grass, hands under the head as a pillow, when the outside world falls into noise and chaos, Li Wei embarks alone on a journey to visit Felix, enjoying a moment of leisure and peace, as if time here forgets to pass.

In a haze, it seems Felix never left, Annie playing hide-and-seek nearby, returning to the hospital, back to those afternoon chats, little troubles, little worries, complaining while laughing, with the sunshine so beautifully warm.

The whole cemetery is so quiet, you can hear the birds chirping, hear the wind whistling, unaffected by the hustle and bustle of the outside world.

Felix sleeps peacefully here, so does Annie.

Li Wei always has the illusion that Felix and Annie never left.

He knows it's an illusion, Felix and Annie have passed away, the funeral is over—though he missed it, now he lies beside the tombstone.

Consciousness clear, reason certain, everything is incredibly real, with no room for misunderstanding.

Yet he still has this illusion, time seems forever frozen in an afternoon at the hospital, life stops pacing to listen to their pointless talk, gathering in a lively crowd wasting time.

Unconsciously, the corners of his mouth lift into a smile, a trace of amusement glimmers in his eyes.

"Hey, didn't miss the last game, did I?"

"It's the Los Angeles Chargers again, old acquaintance Rivers, never underestimate Rivers; indeed, we can't relax at all, must go all out until the final moment."

"Close, a bit more and we would have brushed past a perfect season."

Words linger on the tongue, stirring a slight bitterness, diffusing.

Taking a deep breath, forcibly lifting the smile back at the corners of his mouth.

"I'm serious; I was thinking, if we lost this game, I'd really have no face to meet Felix, also Annie."

"I know, I know, you guys wouldn't mind."

"Just a perfect season, a hollow name, with no actual significance, not affecting playoff seats; there's no need to miss the watermelon over sesame seeds, focus on the playoffs and Super Bowl is the priority, don't blur the focus."

"But..."

Words linger at the lips, even now, the secrets deep within remain as heavy as a thousand pounds, but eventually, they are spoken softly and quietly.

"But, it was our agreement, wasn't it?"

"A perfect season. The three-peat. Fight to the end, never stop battling."

"I, I didn't dare to come and see, sorry, before the perfect season was completed, I didn't have the courage to come and see you, because I was afraid I might lose motivation, worried that my knees might buckle, unable to continue running forward, I was worried..."

"Sorry, Felix, I'm not the superhero you imagined."

Unconsciously, Li Wei closes his eyes and holds his breath, using all his strength to control himself.

All along, he refused to visit Felix because of the fear deep within, Annie's departure accompany his runs and battles, now Felix is gone too; he's unsure if he's psychologically ready to face such cruel facts, all he can do is bury his head like an ostrich, throwing himself wholeheartedly into training and matches.

Fight, fight, fight to the end, until utterly exhausted.

Finally, achieving the first goal, Li Wei then gathers the courage to face Felix, before continuing to sprint towards the ultimate season goal; he needs some motivation and energy, he needs to know the most hardcore, loyal, and passionate fans of the Kansas City Chiefs are still by his side.

Yet, it's harder than imagined.

Remember when Coach Burns extended the invitation, Li Wei thought maybe this was the reason for the system's existence, maybe this was his chance to change his life.

This was everything.

But over the years, things are changing, the mindset seems to have changed too.

He hasn't thought about the system for a very long time; his life, dreams, world are blossoming in different colors through this team.

Life can actually have more.

"Felix, let me tell you a secret."

"You know, people call me an amateur not without reason."

"Actually, I don't like football at all, don't understand it, nor like it, purely because I'm good at it; more accurately, Coach Burns says I'm good at it."

"Then, it helps me solve problems, that's it. It has nothing to do with dreams, it's neither romantic nor beautiful, everything is just a transaction."

"Ha, just like the professional league, everything is merely about interests, no less and no more, a string of cold numbers and calculations."

The smile on the corner of his mouth pulls gently, carrying a hint of self-mocking bitterness and banter.

Looking back over the past three or four years, it's almost like a lifetime apart, the original intention has long been lost in the sediment and wash of time.

Even Li Wei hasn't noticed the slight burden silently falling from his shoulders, with a vague sense of relief easing the mood.

Over these years, people have been saying Li Wei's arrival changed Kansas City, but in Li Wei's view, this team, city also changed him.

"However, it's you guys, it's you guys who made me feel the warmth and weight of football."

"Maybe, to me, it's just a sport, a job, but to you all, it's life and hope, the only light that can dispel darkness amidst the long, muddy trench and endless ordeal."

"It is everything."

"It's sports, the professional league, a complicated of numbers formed interests, a business of victory and championship; but at the same time, it's dreams, hope, life, lighting up passion and energy beyond the routine of life and the trajectory of birth, old-age, illness, and death."

"Fight, just fight, yet it's not just about fighting."