The light, off-white mist rolled gently, vaguely outlining the detached villa's contours and the rolling hills' curves. The faint orange streetlights were still on, their soft glow piercing through the swirling mist to sketch the outlines of bushes, short trees, and cars.
If you listened closely, you could occasionally hear a car engine whiz by in the distant, empty silence. The deep night was slowly receding, and the pale golden dawn was beginning to appear. In what seemed like an instant, the sound of birds awakened the morning's vitality. The whole city came to life, and as the mist faded, the streets and houses were gradually outlined in golden frames and contours, blending the poetic beauty of an ink wash painting with the vibrant colors of an oil painting.
"Tap. Tap. Tap."
The sound of light footsteps echoed through the streets with a steady, rhythmic cadence. One after another, they gently dissolved into the quietness of the sunrise, like the pulse of the city's heartbeat, slowly becoming more powerful.
Lu Ke was out for his morning run. It was Tuesday, a day for recovery and strength training, as well as studying the playbook and watching game film. In the regular season, a professional athlete's life is actually very monotonous, so Lu Ke could completely understand the joy and freedom of a wild party at a bar on a Sunday night.
Scientific research has proven that if you persist in doing the same thing for 30 days, it will gradually become a habit, and then the quantitative change will lead to a qualitative change, bringing about a real, fundamental shift. This is true for learning, and it's also true for exercise.
After getting the Football Superstar System, sticking to his daily training routine had become a habit. Now, Lu Ke was well-versed in his training routine, and his muscles had gradually formed a memory of it. Compared to being lazy and relaxing, Lu Ke was more used to the rhythm of training every day.
During his warm-up run, his mind was completely empty. He didn't think about tactics, games, or pressure. It was completely blank, and he was fully focused on his run. For Lu Ke, this was a form of relaxation, and even a form of enjoyment.
He loved San Francisco in the morning. The mornings at Candlestick Point, in the Haight-Ashbury district, in the Mission District, and on the winding hill roads—they were peaceful and tranquil, and they always made people feel calm. Even the cold, crisp fresh air and the thin, warm sunlight were so beautiful.
"Tap-tap-tap, bang-bang-bang." A series of hurried and panicked footsteps suddenly intruded, like a giant blender rudely starting to mix things up, and the whole world began to turn upside down. A group of people suddenly rushed out from the side of the street, swarming around Lu Ke and completely surrounding him, instantly breaking his running rhythm.
"Do you have to train every morning? Is Monday an exception?"
"Rumor has it that the coaching staff intends to start Alex Smith this week. What are your thoughts on that?"
"You're still living with your parents. Is that a personal choice or a cultural one?"
"Has your training plan changed compared to training camp?"
"After losing last week's game, did you make any adjustments to your training plan?"
"If you lose your starting position for this week's game, what are your plans?"
...
The questions came pouring down like a torrential rain, hitting him one after another and leaving him breathless. All he could hear was a buzzing sound in his ears, reminding him of pesky green flies that wouldn't go away. Even the coldness and crispness of the hills quietly receded, and the noisy, hot clamor broke the morning's peace.
Reporters. Relentless, haunting reporters.
After four weeks of games, Lu Ke was no longer a nobody. This undrafted rookie was full of news-worthy stories, and more and more reporters were focusing on him. Almost every step he took was making history. What's more, his identity as a Chinese-American quarterback could be the key to opening up the Asian market, which also attracted the attention of major media outlets.
As a result, the off-field factors began to get complicated and intense.
For a professional athlete, living under the spotlight is part of the job. How to block out off-field influences and fully focus on their career is a severe test for every player, which is why agents are so important. But in the end, an agent is just a support, and it all depends on the player themselves.
The glamour and attention that comes with the spotlight are hard to resist. Now, Lu Ke was finally beginning to experience the feeling of being the center of attention. Four weeks into the league, everything was starting to feel real.
The reporters rushed out from the side without any warning, clearly having been lying in wait for a long time. Lu Ke, who had never experienced this kind of treatment, was startled and instinctively dodged to the side. But he was immediately surrounded by the reporters, and the rolling noise was a jarring contrast to the peace of the neighborhood.
With a burst of instant power, Lu Ke's hands clenched into fists, and he took a defensive boxing stance, ready to strike at any moment. The next moment, when he realized that they were reporters, his tense nerves relaxed slightly, but he still wasn't completely at ease. He was still a little flustered. Lu Ke ignored them and instantly accelerated, increasing his running speed.
The ability to burst into a sprint during a long run was commonplace for Lu Ke, but it was a nightmare for the reporters. They didn't even have time to react before they saw Lu Ke break out of the circle, running faster and faster, and farther and farther away. His speed kept increasing, and he left them in the dust, a gradually disappearing figure.
The reporters frantically sped up to chase him, but they couldn't keep up. They could only watch as Lu Ke's back became a small black dot. They were all panting heavily, and had to slow down, out of breath and standing still, looking at each other in bewilderment, exchanging glances full of helplessness.
Just when Lu Ke thought he had shaken off the reporters, he heard the puttering sound of an engine.
He turned his head and was stunned to see a young man on a women's scooter, calmly catching up with him. The reporter maintained a steady speed next to Lu Ke and asked loudly, "I interviewed your teammates before, and they said you train every day of the week. Is that true? Even on rest days? Why?"
"..." Lu Ke felt a flock of crows fly over his head, cawing incessantly. An indescribable sense of absurdity arose, and he couldn't help but laugh. He had to admit that this young reporter's unconventional approach was truly eye-catching. He was genuinely impressed. "Have you seen 'Roman Holiday'?"
That was Lu Ke's answer. The young reporter's expression was a little stunned, not understanding why. Then he saw Lu Ke smile and shake his head before accelerating again. After he passed the intersection, he made a sharp turn, crossed the road, and started slowly climbing a hill.
Seeing this, the young man immediately changed direction and chased after him. But soon, he found that the distance between him and Lu Ke was getting bigger and bigger, as if he couldn't catch up no matter how hard he tried. He looked down and realized that the long slope was really steep. The horsepower of the light scooter seemed to be a little insufficient, and climbing the hill became incredibly difficult, not to mention accelerating.
So, he could only look at Lu Ke's back and shout in a panicked and anxious voice, "Lu Ke! Wait, Lu Ke, I only have two questions, just two."
Unfortunately, Lu Ke's footsteps didn't stop. He finally disappeared over the top of the hill, completely out of sight.
A little while later, the other reporters finally caught up, and their questions rang out one after another, "Where's Lu Ke?"
The young man pointed toward the top of the hill with a helpless expression.
After shaking off the reporters, Lu Ke returned to his normal pace. He made a small detour, still following his planned route, and headed toward home. When he was two streets away from home, he slowly decelerated, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and measured his heart rate to see the effectiveness of his training today.
"Lu Ke!"
A shout came from the side of the street, startling Lu Ke. He instinctively tried to dodge. He looked in the direction of the voice and saw Logan Newman's sleepy, tired face. He rubbed his eyes and let out a big yawn.
Noticing Lu Ke's panicked expression, Logan snickered and stretched. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? You didn't forget me after just one day, did you?"
"You actually look like a ghost right now," Lu Ke said, shaking his head. "Why are you here? And at this time?"
After finishing his warm-up, it was only a little past six in the morning, which was too early for Logan.
In fact, after joining the San Francisco 49ers, Logan had moved out. The Newman house was now home to Austin, Tiffany, and Julia. But because they were in the same city, Logan would still come home from time to time and occasionally stay overnight. But to be here at this hour was very unusual.
Logan yawned again, still not fully awake. "I was just thinking... you're always doing strength training, right? I was thinking maybe I should join you."
Lu Ke was stunned for a moment, thinking he had misheard. He looked at Logan with a half-smile. "What did you say? Strength training? Now? At six o'clock?" Then he saw Logan's embarrassed expression, which made Lu Ke laugh even harder. "Jesus Christ, Logan Newman, are you sure? The sun is still rising in the east today. I just checked."
"Lu Ke!" Logan gritted his teeth and rolled his eyes. "Don't make me regret this decision, okay? Don't you know how much courage it took for me to get up this early?"
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