The hotel lobby was spacious and bright, with a visual design of dark red and navy blue intertwined. Elegant gladiolus and lilies dotted the space. A deep gray carpet was laid out, and the lazy, sparse afternoon sunlight filtered through the large glass windows, blending with the soft, creamy yellow indoor lighting. The boundary between the world inside and outside was blurred, making people want to close their eyes and bask in the ambiance.
Inside the building, it was warm like spring, while outside on the street, it was bleak late autumn. The change and difference in seasons were separated by a thick glass door, magically and wonderfully outlining a peaceful serenity.
The San Francisco 49ers players were scattered throughout the hotel lobby, chatting in a relaxed manner. They had two full hours before they had to head to the airport, so they could enjoy a leisurely time with a beer or a cup of coffee. They were also waiting for the team to complete the check-out procedures.
Although the team had just suffered their first loss of the season and everyone's spirits were generally low, on the other hand, the pressure of the winning streak was temporarily set aside. The tension had been slightly eased. Now the team could start over with a fresh perspective, moving toward victory again. This was perhaps a relatively positive side to their difficult situation.
"What time are we leaving?" Logan Newman raised his wrist, looked at his watch, and deliberately made a big show of it, waving it in front of Lu Ke and Marcus Lynch. His look of pride was almost impossible to hide—or rather, he wasn't even trying.
Seeing that no one else was going to answer, Scott Tolzien honestly replied, "We're leaving at 4:30. The flight is at 7:00 PM."
Logan exaggeratedly waved his left hand, almost putting his wrist right under everyone's noses. "It's only 2:40 PM. There's so much time. Why don't we go for a walk in the city? Or sit at a coffee shop and do some field research on the average beauty standards of Philadelphia women?"
"Logan! Is that a new watch? Did you get a new sponsor?" Kendall Hunter was earnest and finally noticed Logan's intention, shouting happily.
Lu Ke, Marcus, and Aldon Smith exchanged glances and laughed helplessly.
Logan, however, showed a big, satisfied smile. "It's not confirmed yet, but my agent is in negotiations, and it's in the final stage. This is a sample they sent me."
"What sponsor?" Kendall was the most supportive, not only excited but also responding, while the others sat by, pretending not to hear.
For the past two days, Logan had been itching to show off and had been trying to find the right opportunity. In fact, Lu Ke had already noticed. Logan's actions were just short of putting up a banner. It was hard for him not to notice. So, he and his friends had conspired beforehand to deliberately ignore Logan, pretending not to know, which had really frustrated him.
In fact, Logan's potential sponsor was Nike.
Undoubtedly, this was the biggest sponsor in the NFL and also the biggest in American sports. It was a dream opportunity for any athlete. With his excellent performance in the previous three games, Logan had caught Nike's attention. However, as a big-name sponsor, Nike had the absolute advantage, and Logan's agent was working hard to secure more benefits.
At the crucial moment, Logan deliberately shut up and said in a low voice, "It's a secret for now because nothing is confirmed without a signature, but..."
Just as Logan was about to give an exclusive scoop, a sweet voice interrupted, "But, no matter what, you're already one step behind Lu Ke."
"Pfft," Marcus and Aldon both burst out laughing. Even Lu Ke, seeing Logan's stunned and bewildered expression, couldn't help but laugh.
Logan's breath caught in his throat. He stared at the source of the voice and saw Sophie Brook's tall, beautiful figure. Her long blonde hair was braided into a fishtail braid, which hung over her shoulder. She looked less business-like and sharp than usual and more like a friendly and playful girl next door.
But the sharpness of her words was undiminished. Her pink lips curved into a beautiful arc. "Didn't you know? Lu Ke has already signed with Under Armour. For the next two years, Under Armour will be Lu Ke's official sponsor." This public relations officer, who graduated from the University of Southern California, was clearly not a "close friend" of Lu Ke's.
As soon as she spoke, Lu Ke became the center of attention. All his friends' surprised and shocked eyes turned to him. Lu Ke had never boasted about his sponsors. Over the past week, securing the starting position had been the top priority, and he hadn't found a good time to brag.
Lu Ke could catch the mischievous look on Sophie's face. He slightly lowered his chin. "Ms. Brook, I thought a player's personal information was part of a confidentiality agreement and shouldn't be leaked."
"Oh, so it was a secret." Sophie deliberately raised her right hand to cover her lips, widening her eyes to show her innocence, then exclaimed, "Oops!" A simple exclamation, but with Sophie's theatrical delivery, it showed a hint of smugness at having successfully played a prank.
In their first meeting, Lu Ke had easily gained the upper hand. Today, Sophie had finally found an opportunity to get her revenge.
Lu Ke laughed helplessly, looked at his friends, spread his hands, and said generously, "The first three rounds tonight are on me."
"Alright! Woohoo!" Everyone high-fived to celebrate. Even Logan jumped up, waving his right hand in a lasso motion to show his celebration.
In an instant, everyone forgave Lu Ke's "concealment." Anyway, they were going to get free drinks tonight, so did anything else matter? Of course not.
"I was originally going to invite you to a three-Michelin-star dinner, but now..." Lu Ke said regretfully, and all his friends froze in place, as if they were playing "Red Light, Green Light."
Lu Ke then turned his gaze to Sophie. "So, do you need anything? It's not the owner who wants to talk to me, is it? After today's game..." After a loss, a talk with the owner was not a good sign.
Sophie couldn't help but laugh but then realized Lu Ke was from UCLA. She quickly composed herself and said seriously, "No. I came specifically to tell you that tomorrow is a day off. The team has arranged two interviews. One is with the largest Chinese newspaper in San Francisco, the 'World Journal,' and the other is with a local radio station in San Francisco. The interview won't be long, a maximum of two hours. We will control the time, but we hope you will cooperate."
"No problem," Lu Ke agreed without hesitation.
Sophie looked at Lu Ke with a suspicious expression, sizing him up. This forced Lu Ke to raise his hands again, in a gesture of surrender. "I am a very cooperative player. Believe me, don't you see how sincere my eyes are?"
"Hmph." Sophie rolled her eyes and turned away, which made Lu Ke laugh out loud.
"Bambi! Bambi, is this your girlfriend?" Without warning, two reporters rushed up, holding their voice recorders up, aiming them at Lu Ke and Sophie. They suddenly asked an explosive question.
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