Chapter 878: Numb Legs
When the warmth in his arms gradually faded, Lu Ke realized that he had been tricked!
He opened his eyes and saw Candice standing five steps away from him. She had her hands with the inflatable noisemakers behind her back and was looking at Lu Ke with a playful smile, as if she was celebrating the success of her little prank. Her smug expression made Lu Ke feel helpless.
Lu Ke nodded slightly and said meaningfully, "Are you sure you want to keep provoking me?"
Candice took a small step back. She knew that once a chase started, she would be at a disadvantage. But she still made a big goofy face at Lu Ke, further pushing his boundaries, while her feet kept moving backward, quietly increasing the distance between them.
Lu Ke and Candice exchanged looks, nodding slightly and confronting each other. It was like a game of cat and mouse, with one advancing and the other retreating. Lu Ke was not in a hurry to move forward and even had time to grab the paper box again. Candice, however, was retreating quickly. The tension between them slowly built up, and just as it was about to break...
Lu Ke took off.
This wasn't a romantic comedy where they flirted playfully. There was no sign of romance at all. It was a real-life... competitive race, as if they were back to their daily training together. It was so ridiculous.
What was even more absurd was that neither Lu Ke nor Candice were joking. They were running with extreme seriousness, as if this were the final race of the Olympic 100-meter dash. The more they ran, the more powerful and invested they became, without any sign of letting up.
For them, this was a more relaxed and comfortable way of being together. It had been like this for so many years, and there was no need to change. Maybe this was the most natural and beautiful way for them to be with each other.
From where Candice and Lu Ke were standing to the exact location of his car was less than fifty yards. There was too little time for Lu Ke to accelerate, and he was also carrying a load. In the end, Lu Ke and Candice crossed the "finish line" at almost the same time. The finish line was Lu Ke's car. Even without talking about it, the two of them had a natural understanding.
Then, Candice raised her fists high, as if she had just won a major victory. "Yes! I did it! I did it!" She turned around, and her ponytail made a beautiful arc in the air, radiating her youthful energy to the fullest. The last bit of sunset on the horizon had completely lost its color.
Lu Ke stood there, watching Candice with a big smile on his face. For the first time, he didn't argue back and forth and just let Candice enjoy this moment of happiness and joy. In the empty parking lot, these two young people were enjoying a rare moment of being alone.
At least, that's what Candice and Lu Ke thought. They thought they were the only two people there.
Mike Iupati was hiding behind Lu Ke's car, wanting to cry.
Watching the two of them laughing, Iupati's expression immediately became awkward. He tried hard to hide, not wanting to be the third wheel that ruined the moment. But his body was too big, like a black bear. He was crouched down and curled up on the ground, making him an easy target.
More importantly, Iupati had been hiding there for almost twenty minutes, and his legs had started to feel numb. He couldn't feel the lower half of his body. He gritted his teeth and kept rubbing his nose, trying to ease the numbness. Now, he was in a difficult position. He couldn't keep hiding, but he also couldn't just pop out.
As he waited, Iupati's body slowly lost control. He wasn't the kind of person with great flexibility. His center of gravity was already unstable, and he couldn't save himself. As a result, he fell to the ground in a clumsy mess, like a curled-up ball, rolling half a circle before stopping awkwardly.
Iupati landed on his back, with his hands on his knees. He looked up, and his ears were filled with silence. Iupati slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of Lu Ke and Candice. The two of them were staring at him with their mouths agape, clearly not understanding what had happened.
Iupati forced a smile, showing his perfectly straight white teeth, and said shyly, "Hey, Bambi, hey, Candice."
Lu Ke and Candice couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Michael, is there a TV show being filmed here today?" Lu Ke couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
Aside from the curious questions from the second-team offense in the locker room, in the parking lot alone, there were the fans, then Candice, and now Iupati. It was a never-ending cycle. If a TV show wasn't being filmed here, then what was going on?
That's why Lu Ke joked about it. But now, to be honest, the only thing on Lu Ke's mind was that the road home seemed a little long today, especially since he really wanted to go home early today.
Lu Ke's gaze shifted back and forth between Iupati and Candice. His playful expression was obvious.
Candice could vaguely understand what Lu Ke meant and laughed. Iupati, on the other hand, was confused. "Huh?"
Lu Ke was just joking and didn't say anything else. He handed the gift box to Candice and quickly walked over to put his arm around Iupati's shoulder. But Iupati started to groan, "Numb, numb. I can't feel my legs now."
Candice, who was standing beside them, found this hilarious, but she quickly put the box on the hood of the car and went to help.
Iupati was a big guy, and all his weight was on Lu Ke, so the pressure and weight were far greater than his normal weight. Lu Ke alone was not enough. Although Candice's contribution was not much, at least she could help.
After some struggle, Iupati finally managed to stand up unsteadily, shaking his legs to relax. When he finally stood firm, he looked up at Lu Ke and Candice but didn't say anything. They just looked at each other, not knowing what to say. For a moment, it was silent.
Lu Ke raised an eyebrow and signaled to Iupati: Why have you been in the parking lot without leaving? Was it just a prank?
Iupati was stunned for a moment, and then he came back to his senses. "Right, right. I stayed here just to wait for you."
Just to wait?
"Crab and Anton got into a fight and hit Bone. Bone's cheekbone is all swollen. Winner came later and gave them a good lecture. Then he grabbed Crab and took him to a bar, saying today is a day to remember, and he won't allow any bullsh*t. Since everyone is ready to let off some steam, just let it all out. After tonight, everyone should shut up. Before he left, Winner told me to wait here for you. He also said if Vernon was here, I should bring him along too, because he could talk to Crab. But I've been waiting here for a long, long time and haven't seen Vernon."
Iupati's words were a little jumbled. The dazzling words only outlined a fragment of what happened, but Lu Ke understood it instantly.
Crab was Michael Crabtree. Anton was Anthony Davis. Bone was Alex Boone. Winner was Jonathan Goodwin. And Vernon was Vernon Davis, whose name was the same as Harry Potter's uncle.
In short, they were all nicknames for the offensive players.
Crabtree and Anthony had gotten into an argument, and things got messy. Goodwin couldn't handle the situation on his own, so he took them to a bar. Now he needed Lu Ke and Vernon to help him. They were all offensive players. Vernon was also a relatively experienced one, and he could communicate with Crabtree.
Although the San Francisco 49ers had easily defeated the St. Louis Rams today, there were still some issues within the team.
First, the defense had clearly declined. Sam Bradford's offense was only considered below average in the league, and their strength was not outstanding. But today, from run defense to pass defense, the defense led by Willis had many missed tackles.
It wasn't a major mistake, just a slight misstep in the defensive rhythm, but it was still a sign of a slow decline. The entire defensive intensity was not as good as it had been in the past few weeks. Of course, this was a normal state of fluctuation, and it was up to them to adjust in practice.
Second, Crabtree, Vernon, and Frank Gore were still not in their best form, especially Crabtree and Vernon. At the tight end position, Logan could make up for Vernon's absence. But at the wide receiver position, Crabtree's slump was particularly noticeable. If this continued, Harbaugh would definitely have to make a change, and Crabtree didn't have much time left.
In addition, the offensive line was also a little distracted. Joe Staley and Iupati on the left had at least one miscommunication, and Anthony and Boone on the right had at least three miscommunications. The instability of the pocket was increasing. Fortunately, Lu Ke was highly focused and completed his movements and quick passes with stable footwork, avoiding sacks.
Victory can hide problems, but the pressure of a winning streak can cause players' mentalities to fluctuate in different ways.
Originally, Lu Ke was going to talk to Crabtree face-to-face again, but now, before he could even act, Crabtree had already exploded.
Lu Ke frowned slightly. "Vernon left from the other side. He didn't drive today. It seems his friend came to pick him up." He explained, then fell silent. "Which bar did they go to? How is the situation? What kind of chaotic fight is it? Is it serious?"
"There might be some black eyes," Iupati said in a daze, looking a little unsure himself.
Lu Ke became even more worried. He turned to look at Candice, but Candice didn't wait for Lu Ke to speak. She said proactively, "You should go check on them."
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