He drove the car in silence, his mind blank. The radio was off. Any sound could be a source of noise. He just wanted a moment of peace, complete and utter peace.
Before his mind could even think, his body reflexively slowed the car down, stopping in a parking spot on the side of the road. He opened the car door, ready to get out. It was then that Lu Ke realized something was wrong. He looked around and realized that he hadn't returned to his own apartment. Unconsciously, he had come back to his parents' house.
When the game ended, it was almost midnight in Baltimore, but the San Francisco 49ers didn't stay there. They took a red-eye flight back to San Francisco, arriving at the local airport just as the morning sun was rising.
Throughout the journey, Lu Ke remained silent and didn't talk to anyone, not even Logan or Marcus. The entire team seemed to be in a silent retreat. Everyone kept their mouths shut and returned to San Francisco without saying a word. This state of affairs worried the coaching staff. Even Jim Harbaugh noticed that something was wrong. He was worried that the negative impact of the two consecutive losses was far greater than he had imagined, but he didn't know how to boost morale. He just said a few uninspiring words and then fell silent.
So, the entire team left Baltimore in a state of depression and low spirits. After arriving at the San Francisco airport, the team bus took all the players back to the training facility, and they all drove home in their own cars. There was no communication at all.
In fact, on the plane, Patrick Willis and Jonathan Goodwin both tried to talk to Lu Ke, but he had his eyes closed and was sleeping the entire time, so they didn't get a chance. Alex Smith gave them some friendly advice, saying that today was not the best time to talk. For a rookie player, a loss like this requires time to process. What's more, as an undrafted rookie and a Chinese player in the quarterback position, the road had been harder for him than for others. Now that he was facing defeat, it was naturally even more difficult for him to bear.
The entire team left the training facility without any fanfare. Lu Ke didn't expect that, in his dazed state, he would end up at his parents' house. He closed the car door, ready to start the engine again and go home. If he showed up at his parents' house without any warning, especially after a loss like this, Lu Zhengze and Jiang Younin would definitely be worried. Last night on the bus, Lu Ke had specifically called his mother to let her know he was okay. Although she didn't say anything, Lu Ke could still feel his mother's concern. He didn't want his negative emotions to worry his parents.
But with his right hand on the key, his eyes were fixed on the door of his parents' house, unable to move. He just quietly, quietly stared at that worn-out door. He had no thoughts in his mind, and even his ability to think had been lost. Lu Ke just leaned against the back of the chair, staring at the door. His agitated and depressed mood slowly calmed down without him realizing it. He was lost in a trance, and his focus and gaze slowly blurred. It was as if he could hear his mother's voice calling him when he was a child.
"Lu Ke, Lu Ke."
It echoed throughout the house, upstairs and downstairs, in the front yard and the backyard. The endless nagging and complaining were everywhere. Sometimes it was unbearable and made him want to explode on the spot. But sometimes, he couldn't help but miss it, as if without those sounds, life was missing something.
"Lu Ke!"
Suddenly, there was a muffled "bang bang" sound in his ear, and then a voice exploded in his eardrum. Lu Ke bolted upright, quickly rubbed his eyes, and looked around in a panic. He then saw Jiang Younin standing next to the driver's side window, with a puzzled expression, signaling for Lu Ke to roll down the window.
Lu Ke quickly rolled down the window.
"Lu Ke, what are you doing here? Why don't you come in?" Jiang Younin frowned slightly, stood on her tiptoes, and leaned in to look at the situation inside the car. This made Lu Ke a little nervous. He tried to hide it in a flustered way. "Nothing, uh, nothing... I was just... just passing by, and I thought I forgot to bring some things from home, training stuff, um, training stuff. But it's too early now, and I was worried that you were still sleeping, so I'm just waiting here for a little while."
It was a terrible excuse. Lu Ke couldn't help but grimace. It was full of holes. Jiang Younin didn't expose her son's excuse. She just stared at Lu Ke without blinking until Lu Ke felt a little uneasy, as if his hidden magazines under the bed had been discovered. He reflexively wanted to run out of the car, and only then did Jiang Younin speak, relieving Lu Ke's tension. "Then come in. Your dad and I are already up."
Lu Ke quickly nodded, unbuckled his seatbelt, pulled out the key, opened the car door, and walked quickly toward the house. Behind him, he heard Jiang Younin's voice. "Lu Ke, wipe your mouth first. There's still a trace of drool. Your dad will definitely make fun of you when he sees it. And, are you not going to take your luggage? Go upstairs and take a shower, and I'll put all your sportswear away."
Lu Ke's entire face crumpled. All of his little tricks had been exposed in an instant. The feeling was so embarrassing. In the end, Lu Ke closed his eyes, pretending he didn't hear anything and didn't know anything. He quickly entered the house and saw Lu Zhengze, who was putting on his tie. He only had time to call out, "Dad, I'm going upstairs first," and then he rushed upstairs and hid in the bathroom.
Lu Zhengze stood in the living room, his face full of confusion and questions. He blinked, not understanding what had happened at all. A little while later, Jiang Younin came in. Lu Zhengze pointed upstairs, his tie-tying motion still in place. "What's wrong with your son? He went upstairs like a whirlwind?"
Jiang Younin didn't answer immediately. Instead, she put a finger to her lips, cautiously looked upstairs, and only when she was sure Lu Ke was upstairs did she relax a little. The worry on her face flowed out, completely gone was the relaxed and natural expression she had earlier.
"Lu Ke... isn't doing well," Jiang Younin's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she shook her head slightly. "Just now, he was sleeping in the driver's seat of the car. When I asked him why he came back, he was confused and didn't know what was going on." As she said this, Jiang Younin looked upstairs again, and her voice was slightly choked with worry. "I don't know if he's injured or if something happened on the team..."
She stopped halfway through her sentence and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes. As a Chinese person living in North America, Jiang Younin and Lu Zhengze knew what they had to face. But as the only Chinese player in the entire league, they couldn't imagine what kind of challenges and difficulties Lu Ke had to face.
Lu Zhengze quickly walked over and handed his wife a tissue. "Didn't Lu Ke say that everything was fine? His teammates all seemed very nice."
"That's because Lu Ke doesn't want us to worry." Jiang Younin immediately realized that her voice had gone up slightly, and she quickly lowered it, afraid of disturbing her son. Lu Ke wasn't the only one. After losing the game last night, the couple didn't sleep well either. They weren't worried about the team; they were worried about Lu Ke's position on the team and the difficulties he might face. In the end, they were still worried about Lu Ke.
Jiang Younin continued, "Before, he was always winning, and all the conflicts could be suppressed for now, but what happens when he loses? And on a two-game losing streak?" Jiang Younin didn't say the rest of the sentence, only expressing her deep concern. "Look at Lu Ke's condition just now. It's not good, it's really not good."
Lu Zhengze sighed softly, but he didn't know what to do either. In sports, a lot of the time, they could only be spectators. Even if they wanted to roll up their sleeves and help, they wouldn't know where to start. They didn't even know where to begin to comfort him.
"Lu Ke drove back as soon as he got off the plane. He's probably a mess right now. I'm not going to work today. I'm going to stay home with him. I'll call the company and ask for the day off," Jiang Younin said decisively, making the decision without any hesitation.
Lu Zhengze nodded in agreement. "I'll also take the day off today and stay home with Lu Ke."
But Jiang Younin shook her head. "You should still go to work." Seeing her husband about to object, Jiang Younin explained, "We need to pretend that nothing happened and not put too much pressure on Lu Ke. I'll stay home and say I'm not feeling well. It's a woman's thing. It's no big deal. If you stay too, it'll make it a big deal."
Lu Zhengze was still a little hesitant. He looked up at the stairs, and his eyes were full of worry.
"Go ahead, you go to work. If anything happens, I'll text you," Jiang Younin said, helping her husband fix his tie. "But come home early today and spend some time with Lu Ke. It might be easier for you two to talk father to son. Just tell Lu Ke not to think too much. Wins and losses are common in war. The important thing is to learn from the failure and grow next time..."
As she was talking, her words started to get longer. Jiang Younin immediately realized this and quickly stopped. "You go to work first. I'll take care of the house."
Lu Zhengze let out a heavy sigh. "You shouldn't worry too much either. Lu Ke isn't that easy to defeat. It's always been like this. We lose our composure, but Lu Ke stands up strong and keeps going. Trust Lu Ke. This loss is no big deal. He can handle it."
Although he said that, the worry on Lu Zhengze's face still lingered. This wasn't high school or college; this was the professional league, a professional league where profit comes first. For any quarterback, a two-game losing streak is a heavy burden, let alone for a special undrafted rookie like Lu Ke.
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