Chapter 943: Staying True to Yourself

"11 straight wins, are you satisfied now? The journey is only halfway done! You can’t be satisfied yet." Lu Ke said with a bright smile, matching Ryan’s joy. "How are you feeling? Is your rehabilitation going as expected these past two weeks?"

"I think the mental rehabilitation from watching a game is much better than the physical rehabilitation," Ryan said with a serious expression. "How about this? I’ll be in charge of my recovery, and you’ll be in charge of winning the championship. Is that a good deal?"

"I think that’s a great deal," Lu Ke said, extending his right hand and replying with the same serious expression. "How about we make a deal right now? Do we need to sign and seal it? Or find a notary?"

Ryan chuckled and pushed Lu Ke’s right hand away. "I didn’t know our quarterback was such a rascal."

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is an incurable disease. There is no possibility of a cure. He knew it, and Lu Ke knew it, too. This was an unfair and impossible deal. Lu Ke could calmly "complete" the deal, but Ryan couldn’t. He wanted to agree, but he backed down at the last moment.

Lu Ke didn’t force it. He didn’t know what it felt like to have a terminal illness, and he couldn’t know. The so-called empathy doesn’t exist. Only by truly experiencing that kind of despair and pain can a person say, "I understand." Otherwise, an outsider is always just an outsider.

"I prefer the word ’wise’ over ’rascal.’ I am your quarterback, after all," Lu Ke said, intentionally making a cocky face and thumping his chest. This made Ryan cheer and whistle, echoing down the hospital hallway and sounding a little noisy. Lu Ke took the opportunity to change the subject. "I’m going for a walk in the garden. Do you have time to be my guide?"

"Oh, I’d love to," Ryan said happily. "You know, time in the hospital is really hard to pass. The first thought we have every day after we open our eyes is: How should I spend this long day? Should I call my family and spend an hour? Then go to the swimming pool and spend another hour? God, if someone is willing to spend 20 minutes with me, I’d give them my small bag of potato chips from my lunch. That’s the way we express our love in the hospital."

Ryan pushed his wheelchair, and Lu Ke walked beside him. The two of them walked toward the hospital’s garden with smiles and laughter.

Ryan’s mental state was much more positive than Lu Ke had expected. Maybe it was because his rehabilitation was showing results, maybe it was because the San Francisco 49ers were still winning, or maybe it was just a good day for him. He was able to self-deprecatingly joke about the mundane things in the hospital without any hint of despair.

At this moment, Lu Ke and Ryan weren’t in a player-fan relationship. They were just friends. In fact, they were even closer than that. The atmosphere was pleasant and comfortable, and without realizing it, Lu Ke’s mood began to relax.

The two of them sat side by side on a bench in the hospital garden—to be more accurate, Lu Ke sat on the bench, and Ryan sat in his wheelchair next to him. They basked in the Monday morning sun. The lazy golden light warmed their bodies, and a hint of warmth came over San Francisco in early winter.

"So, how about you? How have you been?" Ryan turned his head. He could tell that Lu Ke’s mood was a little low. He wasn’t sure if he should ask, but after a moment of hesitation, he finally did. "I’ve been talking all this time. The hospital stories are all the same. Tell me, how’s the outside world?"

"We’re winning. We’re practicing. That’s about it. Believe me, a professional player’s life is much more boring than people think," Lu Ke said, shrugging his shoulders lightly.

But Ryan didn’t reply. He just gave Lu Ke a meaningful look, as if he could see through Lu Ke’s thoughts. Lu Ke realized he had been exposed. This made him laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

"Of course," Ryan said with an exaggerated expression. "How obvious are your dark circles? Did you not look in the mirror before you left? And you came all the way to the hospital to visit me? If I remember correctly, you have a fixed recovery training plan on your day off. Bambi, I’m a Faithful, and you’re our quarterback. I know your daily routine very well."

"Wow, why does that sound a little creepy? Is that not what a stalker would say?" Lu Ke said, wrapping his arms around himself as if trying to shake off goosebumps. His silly expression made Ryan laugh heartily.

The laughter slowly subsided, and Lu Ke thought for a moment. In the end, he didn’t say the whole story but instead said, "I’m thinking about how to be a good leader."

"What?" Ryan blurted out with a confused tone. His words were followed by an exclamation. "You’re a born leader! Have you not seen your performance on the field? God, you’re only a second-year player, but we’re the only team in the league that hasn’t lost yet!" 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"Haha," Lu Ke said, knowing that Ryan had misunderstood. "No, I mean besides playing football. Obviously, to be a true leader, just being good at playing football isn’t enough." After saying it, Lu Ke felt a little speechless. Why would Ryan know the answer to something he didn’t know?

Ryan didn’t tease him or make fun of him. Instead, he fell silent and began to ponder. "You know what? Life in the rehabilitation room is filled with countless negative emotions."

"Some patients, no matter how hard they try, just can’t see any hope. Even the doctors can’t do anything. They might be like this for the rest of their lives. They can’t walk, stand, or eat. They even have to rely on a caregiver to go to the bathroom. If the caregiver is in a bad mood, it’s terrible. They can’t find a partner, and even if they do, they can’t even hold hands or kiss."

The calm words had no connection to Lu Ke’s topic, but Ryan spoke very seriously, and Lu Ke listened carefully.

"Compared to them, am I more unfortunate or more fortunate? I don’t know."

"I’m running toward death. Every day, I’m trying my best to slow down, but even at the slowest speed, I still can’t stop the process. And they’re stuck in the same place. They can’t move forward or backward. They can’t even kill themselves. I really don’t know who’s in a better situation."

As he spoke, Ryan chuckled to himself. His open-mindedness and serenity couldn’t hide the bitterness and sadness hidden within.

"I can’t."

Ryan tried to force a smile, but he failed. "To be precise, I can’t think about these problems. Because the answer to every question is too scary. The more I think about it, the more complicated and terrifying it gets. No matter what the answer is, it’s probably not something I can handle."

"Now, the only thing I can do is keep up with my rehabilitation, one step at a time, day after day, hoping that one day things will change. Maybe I’ll be able to eat on my own. Maybe I’ll be able to see the team win the Super Bowl again. Maybe... haha, maybe I’ll even find someone I like."

Looking at Ryan’s mischievous eyes, Lu Ke couldn’t help but laugh. The more he thought about it, the funnier it got, and he just kept laughing.

"How’s that? It’s not bad, right? I also think it’s a good idea. You have to have a dream. Maybe it’ll come true?" Ryan said, smacking his lips with a smug look, as if he was already fantasizing about his wonderful future life.

The look was so funny that Lu Ke couldn’t stop laughing. He bumped Ryan with his elbow. "Why do I feel like things are not that simple? Tell me, do you have a crush on someone in the hospital? A doctor? A nurse? A caregiver? Or a patient?"

Ryan’s smile grew bigger. "I don’t have anything yet. I’ve only met her twice at the hospital’s bingo game. I’m looking for a chance to talk to her. I’m hoping she also likes football. Do you think if we make it to the Super Bowl, she’ll agree to go with me to watch the game?"

He hadn’t even talked to her yet, and he was already dreaming about the future? That’s quite fast.

"Of course. That’s a rare opportunity. If we really make it to the Super Bowl, I’ll provide the tickets, and you can ask her out," Lu Ke said, agreeing without hesitation. "For your future happiness, I also need to go all out and lead the team back to the Super Bowl. But first, you have to have the courage to ask her out. You haven’t even talked to her yet. Is that normal?"

"That’s called rusty skills! I haven’t used them in a long time. They’re just a little rusty!" Ryan immediately stiffened his neck and clarified.

But Lu Ke still had a look of disbelief on his face, which made Ryan feel depressed. "Tell me, what kind of girl is she? If you need me to, I can help."

"..." Ryan stared at Lu Ke with a depressed look.

He thought about it carefully and suddenly felt that something was wrong. Lu Ke’s charm was too overwhelming. He was a professional player and a superhero. He had a great personality and was a dedicated athlete. He barely had any negative news. To any girl, wasn’t he the perfect boyfriend?

What if, just what if, the girl liked Lu Ke?

Ryan suddenly felt that it was not a safe bet. He hadn’t even figured anything out for himself yet! So, he immediately said, "Weren’t we just talking about a professional problem? How did we suddenly get to this? We haven’t finished our important topic yet!"

Without waiting for Lu Ke to interrupt, Ryan’s eyes widened, and he said anxiously, "Where were we?"

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