"Believe me, this isn't my first time watching a football game in person," Leonardo said, rolling his eyes dramatically at Lu Ke's teasing. He lifted his chin arrogantly, not hiding his disdain, as if he was reprimanding Lu Ke for his ignorance in treating him like a country bumpkin. "I'm just not interested, which doesn't mean I haven't seen it. Those are two different things."
Lu Ke could feel Leonardo's aggression, which was identical to their first meeting. He wasn't sure why, but it could be the attitude of a top Hollywood star or just Leonardo's personality. After all, compared to him, Lu Ke was just a rookie player who had just started his career.
However, Lu Ke wasn't intimidated. "Then what brought you to Candlestick Park today? I don't think interest was your driving force." Without a change in expression, Lu Ke countered, "Wait, are you really here for... me?"
Lu Ke deliberately stretched out the last word and looked Leonardo up and down, a look in his eyes that gave the words a deeper meaning. This counterattack was completely unexpected for Leonardo. After a brief moment of stunned silence, he immediately understood the hidden meaning in Lu Ke's words. His self-preservation instinct kicked in, and he retorted sharply, "Hey! Watch your mouth!"
After years of being in the Hollywood spotlight, especially after the explosion of Titanic, Leonardo had become more and more cautious about making friends. Everyone had an ulterior motive; friendship was no longer pure, and neither was love or family. Besides his friends from before he became famous, Leonardo's circle of friends had become smaller and smaller, and every new friend was very difficult to get.
But at that moment, after his reflexive counterattack, Leonardo saw the polite smile on Lu Ke's face. Lu Ke had taken a friendly half-step back, creating distance between them and showing no intention of getting closer or attacking. He then realized that it was all just a joke. If the other person had been a stranger, Leonardo wouldn't have overreacted. But after their chance meeting and because Lu Ke wasn't a Hollywood celebrity but a Chinese professional player in the NFL, it all made him seem like a friend worth having. This was why Leonardo was even more cautious. It seemed his nerves were a little too tense.
Leonardo shook his head and let out a bitter laugh, helpless at his own reaction. He said softly, "My apologies."
Lu Ke raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. "I've always heard that Hollywood is a gladiator arena. I thought it was just a vivid metaphor, but now it seems it's a simile." This was his way of complaining about Leonardo's aggression. "And then you complain about football being too violent? That's not very fair, sir."
Then, Leonardo saw Lu Ke shake his head earnestly in disapproval. In an instant, Leonardo couldn't hold back his laughter. He chuckled softly. "Honestly, you could be a great reporter or a talk show host."
"Then football would be missing a great quarterback," Lu Ke replied. "You win some, you lose some. It's a law of conservation." The confidence in his words made Leonardo laugh heartily and nod repeatedly. He liked this kind of humor and this way of talking.
"You still haven't answered my question," Lu Ke continued. "You didn't come to Candlestick Park to watch a game, and you didn't come for me." Seeing that Leonardo was about to argue, Lu Ke said with a smile, "Don't bother with my teammates who don't know any better. You and I both know we've only met once. I don't think we can call ourselves friends yet."
Leonardo was slightly stunned, then smiled and nodded in agreement.
"I needed a place to get away from the annoying paparazzi," Leonardo said honestly. "They're like flies that never go away. I could go to a game at the Staples Center, but they always manage to find me. A football game is an unexpected choice." This time, there was no pretense or lies. Leonardo told the whole truth. "Also, I've met Eli Manning a few times. We're not close, but at least he's a name I've heard of. Before I knew it, I was already here."
Lu Ke nodded in agreement. This was a possibility. "It seems you've heard of more than two football players' names now." This was a callback to their last conversation.
Leonardo paused for a moment before remembering and laughed joyfully. The more he thought about it, the funnier it was, and the more brilliant his smile became. "Besides those reasons, honestly, there was also some curiosity." "Not just the NFL, but as far as I know, there aren't many Chinese players in the four major American professional leagues. Why did you choose football? If you had chosen basketball, it might have been a lot easier. At least, Yao is doing very well now." As Leonardo spoke, he noticed the look of disdain on Lu Ke's face. He tilted his head. "Hey, I'm being serious!"
"I know," Lu Ke nodded and then shrugged, giving his honest opinion. "But you're clearly not cut out to be a reporter. You're better suited for acting. Your questions are old-fashioned, boring, and full of clichés that no one cares about."
Leonardo couldn't believe his ears. "...Are you serious?"
"Of course, I'm serious," Lu Ke rambled on. "It's either for a dream, for perseverance, for money, or, oh, I forgot, for interest. It's nothing more than that. Even though I'm Chinese and I chose football, the reasons are similar in the end." Finally, Lu Ke looked up and gave a big smile. "Isn't that right?"
Leonardo blinked and began to seriously consider whether he should turn and leave in anger or laugh heartily at the absurdity of it all. In the end, he chose the latter. "My God, you're a funny guy."
Lu Ke also chuckled softly. "If you want to hear a heartwarming story, I can tell you a story about how I fell in love with football as a child and how I got into the sport. I guarantee Oprah Winfrey would be in tears. But..." Lu Ke's words suddenly stopped.
The smile lingered on Leonardo's face as he followed Lu Ke's gaze. At some point, their steps had brought them to the stands. Looking out, the surging red ocean was slowly receding, but the excitement and happiness in the air were still there. The magnificent red seemed to fill the entire world. At this moment, Candlestick Park was breathtakingly beautiful.
"But the fact is, I love it," Lu Ke said simply. "I love the feeling of being on the field. I love the feeling of my palms sweating from nervousness during a crucial moment. I love the feeling of outsmarting an opponent in a confrontation. That's all there is to it." Everyone starts with a pure and simple heart when a dream begins. But on the path of chasing a dream, they gradually forget their original purity and even their initial intentions. They then get lost in the currents of life and eventually become ordinary, unremarkable members of society.
Leonardo stood there, Lu Ke's words still echoing in his ears. His restless mood involuntarily calmed down. Recently, Leonardo had been at a low point in his career. Starting with Gangs of New York in 2002, Leonardo had officially embarked on a journey to win an Oscar. After a series of films like The Aviator, The Departed, Blood Diamond, and Revolutionary Road, he had suddenly hit a bottleneck. Last year's Inception and Shutter Island didn't get any Oscar nominations, and this year's J. Edgar had already fallen at the first hurdle in the early part of awards season, receiving harsh criticism from critics. Even before Christmas, it was already clear that he would not be in contention for the final stage this year.
In a daze, Leonardo was also lost in confusion, unsure of his goals, his current situation, or even if he was a qualified actor. The relentless hounding of the paparazzi only made things worse, so he had fled Los Angeles and come to San Francisco. Now, standing in front of the field with this young quarterback, Leonardo's questions were still unanswered, but his mood had slowly calmed down. "Just because I love it." He loved this answer, as if he could hear the sound of a pure heart beating in his chest.
"Today's game was a thrilling and beautiful victory. For the fans, this is the happiest time," Leonardo said with a smile. Although he wasn't a football fan, he was a basketball fan, so he could relate to this feeling. "In those last few plays, were you really not nervous or tentative?" In the zero-second drive, there were at least two times when Lu Ke's pass was slightly off, and the accuracy wasn't that high. But the failure to score was due to various factors. In the final moments, every player on and off the field had to bear the corresponding pressure.
"When you're in a crucial moment of the game, you don't actually feel nervous because you have to be completely focused on the game. If you feel nervous, it means you're distracted, and that's the worst thing that can happen," Lu Ke said sincerely.
Leonardo suddenly understood. "I see! No wonder. I was just thinking that in a few crucial moments of the Lakers' games, some players would get distracted! This is not good. It's a heart issue." A basketball fan will always be a basketball fan.
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