Charlie Gibson's pupils constricted slightly, as he vaguely sensed something was amiss. His professional journalistic instincts, his sixth or seventh sense, went into full gear.
Candice Swanepoel was definitely one of the hottest new star models in the past year. Her rise to fame was astonishingly fast and her level of popularity was breathtaking. Not only did she walk for Victoria's Secret for the first time last year, but she also graced the covers and pages of major fashion magazines, and she was a frequent sight at the four major fashion weeks.
With her healthy complexion, sweet smile, slender waist, and long legs, Candice received a lot of attention due to her natural advantages, becoming another beautiful woman from South Africa to enter Hollywood's radar after Charlize Theron.
The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show for this year was about to begin in December. The model auditions and selections had already become a hot topic of discussion. After the first and second rounds of selections, they were now choosing the most important models: the one who would wear the million-dollar fantasy bra and the one who would lead the opening show.
Currently, Candice had entered the final four-person list for the opening show model.
Every candidate was a focal point of attention. Among them, Candice, with her skyrocketing career, was the one with the most promising future among the Victoria's Secret Angels.
But why would a young woman hailed as a "future star" know an undrafted rookie quarterback?
It wasn't that Charlie looked down on Lu Ke; it was just a fact.
As a rookie player, it was only the fourth week of the regular season. He was completely inexperienced. Forget about grand dreams like the Hall of Fame or the Super Bowl. Only a handful of players can make it through their rookie season and make a name for themselves. And among them, only a very few can prove themselves and become a candidate for a future superstar.
This was true for every rookie, let alone Lu Ke, an undrafted rookie.
Even if Lu Ke truly established himself in the league by the end of the season and became a future star, that would have to wait until the end of the season. The first phase of the regular season had just been completed, and there were still 12 incredibly long games waiting. For rookie players, they were still "rookies."
The simplest and most straightforward example was that these rookie players simply didn't have the opportunity to attend those top social events or appear on the glamorous stage of fame and fortune. Naturally, they didn't have the chance to befriend socialites or top superstars. Models and actors were a world completely unrelated to rookie players.
Now, with Candice and Lu Ke walking side by side, it was truly baffling.
"A scandal?" The thought flashed through Charlie's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
These two seemed to have no connection at all. Compared to them, the possibility of Lu Ke and Sophie seemed higher. So, how did they end up together? Was it just a coincidence? Were all his previous wild thoughts just his imagination running wild?
As a reporter for an ESPN magazine, Charlie was an expert in sports news, but entertainment gossip was his weak point, and his intuition was not sensitive enough.
After a moment of hesitation, Charlie decided to temporarily abandon Kaepernick and follow his sixth sense to find out the truth. So, Charlie left the hotel entrance and hurried after them, running faster and faster.
But after turning the corner, he only managed to see Lu Ke and Candice getting into a taxi one after another. He raised his right hand to hail a cab, but the taxi sped past him, and his right hand fell back weakly.
Standing there, Charlie watched the taxi drive away, his mind filled with more and more questions. Why did he feel like he had lost his integrity?
"Don't tell me you came all the way here because I lost the game today?" Lu Ke and Candice sat side by side in the back seat, his eyes full of a smile.
After their brief conversation, Lu Ke learned that Candice had just arrived in Philadelphia this afternoon. She had a photoshoot that would last for seven days, with a different location each day. Candice was on a flight during the game, so she missed the live broadcast. After arriving at the airport, she immediately learned the outcome of the game. After dropping off her luggage at the hotel, she rushed over.
Looking at Lu Ke's knowing and playful expression, Candice shrugged. "Since you put it that way, what can I say? I can only deny it. No, of course not! I was just bored and thought a walk would be a good idea, and then I came over."
Her self-deprecating tone and mischievous expression made the conversation lively, which made Lu Ke laugh heartily. Even Candice herself couldn't help but smile. "Bambi, I'm not worried about a loss because I know you're not that easy to beat. Otherwise, you wouldn't be on the field, right?"
If he was afraid of failure, Lu Ke would have given up after being rejected twice in his freshman and sophomore years. If he was afraid of failure, Lu Ke would have given up during the pain and torment of his practice squad career. If he was afraid of failure, Lu Ke would have given up before the draft, the training camp, or the first regular season game.
For Lu Ke, he was never afraid of challenges, nor was he afraid of failure.
Candice knew this clearly. "Today, I came here specifically to tell you that you're never fighting alone or moving forward alone. On the field, you have your teammates; off the field, you have your supporters."
After saying that, Candice gave a sweet smile, held her hand in a fist, and cheered in the posture of a cheerleader, cheering for Lu Ke.
But Lu Ke didn't respond, and Candice's movements became awkward. She sheepishly lowered her hand and stared at Lu Ke in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Lu Ke still didn't answer. He just patted the back of the driver's seat. "Sir, could you please pull over? I need to buy some things at the supermarket." The taxi quickly and neatly pulled over. "Please wait for a moment. I'll be right back. Girl, wait for me."
Lu Ke opened the car door, quickly got out, and then, under Candice's dumbfounded gaze, jogged away.
Candice blinked. She felt that her mind couldn't keep up with Lu Ke's rhythm. Before she could react, Lu Ke had already gotten out and was walking away. "Bambi?" Candice called out subconsciously, with more and more questions, but she got no answer. "Lu Ke! What... what just happened? Are you leaving now? Just leaving? Lu Ke!"
Even though she had known Lu Ke for so long, Candice still couldn't fully understand his thoughts. But on the other hand, if she hadn't known Lu Ke for so long, Candice would have thought she had met a crazy person. But, could someone explain what was going on?
In her sight, Lu Ke laughed heartily, raised his hands, and then slowly lowered them, mouthing, "Be a lady."
At this moment, Lu Ke still had the nerve to joke and was teasing her for not being a lady?
Candice bit her lower lip, her eyes wide, and she bared her teeth, raising her right fist to protest. But she saw Lu Ke laugh joyfully. His retreating footsteps didn't stop. He turned around, sped up, and ran into the supermarket. Finally, his figure disappeared behind the doors, out of sight.
"Miss, should we leave?"
The driver's voice came from the direction of the driver's seat, breaking the heavy atmosphere. Candice chuckled, looked into the rearview mirror, and shook her head in denial. "No, no need." Then, she raised her chin arrogantly, in a "I'm the boss" tone, and said proudly, "I can wait ten minutes for him."
But in fact, Candice waited for 25 full minutes before she saw Lu Ke running into the car with a paper bag in his hand. He quickly closed the car door. "Let's go, let's go now. I hope I didn't get you a ticket, did I?"
"Sir, are you sure you didn't meet a beautiful woman in the supermarket and just couldn't move your feet, which is why you were delayed?" Candice said seriously, her arms crossed over her chest.
Lu Ke answered seriously, "If that were the case, I would have texted you to leave first." Before Candice could clench her fist, Lu Ke opened the paper bag from the supermarket and handed her a green drink. "You said that after you got off the plane, you just dropped off your luggage at the hotel and came straight here. So I thought you hadn't had lunch yet."
Candice was stunned as she watched Lu Ke's actions.
Lu Ke looked up and noticed Candice's pause, asking in confusion, "Plane food is something you have to avoid, right? Or did you order a special diet meal today?"
Lu Ke handed the drink over. "This is kale juice. I made it with the same ratio you used before. I supervised the entire juicing process, so it's 100% natural and has no issues."
Kale, which is high in fiber and low in fat, is now recommended not only for models but also for top Hollywood stars and professional fitness coaches as an important part of their diet for fitness, dieting, and shaping.
Then, Lu Ke took out two bananas from the paper bag. "If you have a photoshoot this afternoon, you won't be able to eat solid food until the evening, so I thought you might need this. I only bought two; is that enough?" Lu Ke looked up and saw the shocked Candice. She couldn't say a word, and her expression was frozen, with only a hint of emotion welling up in her eyes.
Lu Ke said with a grin, "Don't look at me like that, or you'll fall for me."
"Lu! Ke!"
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