Chapter 750: A Gracious Demeanor
"Candy! Candy! Candy!"
The whole locker room was filled with the sound of collective jeering. Even leaders like Patrick Willis, Ahmad Brooks, and David Akers joined in the shouting. As a result, the new players, who had no idea what was going on, also joined in, fearing they would be left behind.
Twenty, thirty players all crowded behind Lu Ke, forming a human wall. A large group of players couldn't even squeeze in and could only pile up on both sides, like a bloated marshmallow, hanging behind Lu Ke in an exaggerated way. Everyone shouted the same name in unison.
The grand sight was truly too exaggerated. Not only was Candice shocked, but even Curry was scared and had no idea what was happening.
Curry hesitated, raising his right hand. He looked at Lu Ke, then at Candice, as if he was contemplating, "Should I shout? Should I?"
But Lu Ke had no time to worry about Curry now. The shouts behind him were deafening, and his eardrums were rumbling like speakers. The overwhelming shock kept building up. The top priority now was not Curry but the group of guys behind him and the bewildered Candice.
Candice had a graceful and poised personality and didn't get embarrassed easily, but the jeering was truly too exaggerated. At first, she responded with a graceful lady's curtsy, but the shouting seemed to have no end. She became helpless and could only stand there, spreading her hands, looking at the group of big men in front of her with both helplessness and amusement. It seemed like this farce was not going to end.
Lu Ke took the initiative and walked out, standing in the space between Candice and his teammates. He turned around and looked at his teammates.
As expected, they had finally gotten a reaction from Lu Ke. The shouts of "Candy" changed to "whoa, whoa." The meaningful looks combined with the shouts, which were mixed with some laughter. The meaning of teasing and mockery was obvious, like a circus. The noisy sound was boiling.
Lu Ke raised his hands and pressed them down repeatedly, motioning for everyone to be quiet, but the more he did, the more excited his teammates became. The "whoa, whoa, whoa" sound gradually lowered, changing from a high pitch to a low one. The teasing grew stronger, and the hints almost became explicit. Even the usually calm and poised Candice's cheeks turned slightly red.
Lu Ke straightened his back, and his sharp eyes stared at his teammates, one after another. He slowly looked them over, then raised his right hand, put it on his lips, and made a zipper gesture, slowly and slowly closing the zipper. Without too many words, his hard-edged powerful aura fiercely pushed back.
Brooks knew that their goal had been achieved and they should stop. So he raised his hands and pressed them down repeatedly. The jeering finally subsided and returned to complete silence. Under Lu Ke's sharp gaze, everyone slowly lowered their heads, not daring to look at him directly. The noisy and chaotic sounds finally dissipated into the air.
Lu Ke nodded slightly, ignoring the guys. He turned around, gestured to Candice and Curry, and made room, indicating toward the locker room entrance. The meaning was clear.
The scene in front of him was so funny. They looked like kindergarten kids who were apologizing to their teacher. Candice tried to hold it in, but the curve of her mouth still went up. Before she could laugh out loud, she gave them a generous look, clenched her fist to encourage the "kids," and then quickly left the locker room.
Lu Ke also followed, but when he got to the locker room entrance, he remembered something. He seemed to have forgotten an item. So he turned around, came back, and walked toward the stunned Curry. He put his arm around Curry's shoulder and walked toward the locker room entrance again.
Marcus secretly raised his head, glanced at the scene in front of him, and then let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Oh..."
The other players also raised their heads, a smile on their lips, and sighed with him. "Oh..."
The meaningful drawn-out sound was too obvious. Lu Ke suddenly stopped, stood still, and looked at his teammates again.
Everyone immediately shut their mouths. The unparalleled silence was even funnier. This made Lu Ke shake his head with a chuckle. In the end, he didn't stay any longer and left the locker room.
Before the locker room door slowly closed, a series of exaggerated wails came from inside, with people banging on lockers, pounding their chests, screaming, and cheering, as if they had just won the game. Then, like a dam closing its gates, the sound was blocked inside as the door closed, and the hallway instantly became quiet.
Candice and Curry, who were standing in front of Lu Ke, had different expressions.
Curry was still confused and had no idea what was going on. Compared to basketball, a football locker room was truly a bit crowded. The number of players was five or six times more. It felt like every corner of his vision was filled with people. Everyone was enthusiastically jeering together. The powerful sound was a bit overwhelming.
Candice's brow was relaxed, and she stood tall. She was not reserved or shy but was smiling. Her teasing eyes looked at Lu Ke up and down, as if she had joined the ranks of the San Francisco 49ers' players and was messing around with them, just short of shouting.
Seeing this, Lu Ke raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at her with surprise, as if to say, "Do you know what they were jeering about?"
Candice was not to be outdone and widened her eyes, meeting Lu Ke's gaze frankly and directly. The laughter in her eyes was sparkling.
The two of them looked at each other, in a silent staring contest. The confused Curry looked up and called for help in a daze. "Bambi?"
He looked at Candice, then at Lu Ke. Curry felt that something was a little strange, but he couldn't put his finger on it. His head felt a little swollen, and his reaction was a beat slower. He asked hesitantly, "What's wrong with you two? Is something going on?"
"Nothing!"
Lu Ke and Candice said in unison, which startled Curry. He blinked his eyes and still couldn't figure it out. Then Lu Ke bumped Curry's shoulder, interrupting his thoughts. "They just like to mess around. I'm sure your locker room is the same. Professional athletes are all like this."
Lu Ke made light of the situation and quickly changed the subject. "And you, you two. Why did you both come to watch the game? Why didn't you tell me in advance? And how did you two meet? My God!"
The appearance of Candice and Curry was an unexpected surprise. The first home game of the regular season starting this way was just perfect.
"Because..."
"To..."
Curry and Candice spoke one after the other, their voices overlapping. They looked at each other and both laughed. Then Candice made a polite gesture, letting Curry speak first.
Curry didn't decline. "I've always wanted to come and watch a game live. A recording and a TV are just not the same. This is the first home game of the new season, so of course, I had to come and cheer for you!" Curry clenched his fist hard and happily said, temporarily forgetting the locker room antics. "Ayesha was supposed to come with me, but..."
He didn't finish his sentence, but Lu Ke immediately understood. "Riley is still small. When she grows up, Ayesha can bring her along to watch Uncle Lu's games."
Riley Curry was the first child of Curry and Ayesha, born on July 19th.
At that time, Lu Ke was participating in the team's mandatory training camp, but he still greeted the little one via video call and went to Oakland to visit Ayesha and little Riley after the training camp ended. Although he was young, Lu Ke had now moved up a generation.
When he mentioned his daughter, a bright smile appeared on Curry's face. "I can only stay for the afternoon. I have to drive back after the game."
The offseason was very limited. After deducting daily training, there wasn't much free time, and after the new NBA season officially started, free time would be even more precious. So he had to cherish every day now.
"Before you leave, come by my place. I'll give you the dolls I bought for Riley." Lu Ke was a kid magnet. He always got along well with kids. Now, when he passed by a toy store, he couldn't help but think of Riley and would buy a bunch of things for her.
Curry chuckled. "Ayesha will definitely say that you're spending too much money again."
"Isn't the purpose of earning money to spend it? Besides, I won't go bankrupt from buying a few things for little Riley." Lu Ke said with a smile, then turned his head and explained to Candice. "Riley is Stephen's daughter. She's a little one, not even two months old, but when she clenches her fists, she's very strong. She loves to wave her fists. We all say she has the potential to be the next Ali."
"Then she must have inherited her father's fighting spirit and her mother's toughness," Candice said with a gentle nod and a smile. She saw Curry's face filled with a simple, honest smile, and he scratched his head. He still looked so boyish.
Curry had a very baby face and looked like a high school student. When he talked about his daughter, there was a hint of shyness. The atmosphere immediately became even more cheerful.
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