Chapter 689: The Dawn Arrives
Lei Qingkong leaned back in his chair and rubbed his aching temples, but the fatigue and exhaustion in his body still lingered. He couldn't help but stand up and stretch. His bones and muscles made a creaking sound, and the gloom and listlessness that had been suppressed all day finally eased a little.
But the work was not over yet.
He turned his head and looked at Shanghai late at night outside the window. At two in the morning, Shanghai was shrouded in a thin layer of mist. The city's dazzling lights were faintly visible, and the steep skyline also became blurry. This still couldn't hide the coldness and detachment of the skyscrapers, as if they didn't have a single bit of warmth.
In the end, he still didn't like office life. He couldn't help but miss the green turf, the running and colliding on the field, the fighting side by side with his offensive and defensive teammates, the feeling of sweating freely and boldly, and the glorious moments of becoming an indispensable part of the team with his own strength. Even if he was sweating and bleeding, he could feel the vibrant vitality of life bubbling.
Unfortunately, the injury still interrupted his dream. He had to leave the field and return to the office, becoming a fund manager and a regular person who hustled for a living in one of the countless cubicles in this city. Now, he was thirty-six years old. He was no longer young, and those passionate and wild days were all in the past.
It was time to hide his dream in his memories.
He let out a long sigh. The short break was over. He returned to his desk, cheered up, and got busy again.
"Ding."
"Ding, ding, ding."
"Ding."
"Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding."
His phone next to him kept making WeChat notifications. Messages kept coming in one after another. Lei Qingkong tried to ignore them. It was already late at night, and he still had work to do. He didn't have time to deal with these trivial chats. He guessed it was another group of night owls talking nonsense.
But they couldn't stop. They were getting worse and worse. The constant pings were like a blacksmith's shop, clanging in his ears. He couldn't calm down, and he was so annoyed that he wanted to get angry.
"Shit." Lei Qingkong cursed viciously and threw his phone into the drawer, but the muffled sound still echoed in his ears.
In the end, Lei Qingkong couldn't resist. He opened the drawer again, took out his phone, and quickly opened the app. He started scrolling. In just a few minutes, there were more than a hundred new messages. It was two in the morning, as if a deep-sea torpedo had blown everyone up.
This was a local Shanghai football group.
In fact, even nationwide, the number of football fans and professionals was very limited. After all, the promotion of football was still in its very early stages. But there was no denying that there was still a group of avid fans who had dedicated their youth and sweat to football and were burning with passion for this sport.
They were the founders and pioneers of this sport.
So, they were always closely united, contributing all their strength. For football, even the slightest bit of strength was crucial.
This group was composed of comrades from Shanghai, including avid football fans, players who played football in their spare time, and young people who were determined to become professional football players.
But it was already two in the morning. What was going on? Didn't they need to get up early for training tomorrow? A bunch of crazy people!
Lei Qingkong quickly sent a message. "Are you all crazy? Don't you have to get up early for training tomorrow? What are you all doing up so late chatting?"
"Uncle Kong has been blown out too!"
"Ahhh, Uncle Kong, Uncle Kong, Uncle Kong! Is it true? Is all this true?"
"Unbelievable! Uncle Kong, hurry, hurry, confirm with NFL China's official account. Is it really true?"
"Uncle Kong, just read the chat history first."
"Chat history! Chat history! I guarantee you won't feel sleepy at all!"
...
Lei Qingkong had just sent a message, and the group exploded again. A series of replies instantly popped up. He was also a little stunned. Did they all go crazy?
He quickly slid his finger, scrolled through the chat history, and found the beginning of the conversation.
"Hey, hey, hey. I just saw the news on the NFL's official website. The special guest for the promotional event in Shanghai next Friday is Bambi. Is it real? Is it real? Is it real?"
"Is anyone there? Hey, is anyone there? I'm so excited I can't speak. Can someone please respond to me? I need to confirm if this is true!"
"Hello? Is everyone sleeping? What's going on? Am I sleepwalking? Am I dreaming that Bambi is coming to Shanghai? No way!"
The first three messages were from the same person, Zhou Yuxiang, who had just turned eighteen this year. He was a flag football player and was considering studying abroad in the UK or the US to participate in semi-professional football training.
The so-called flag football was a simplified version of the sport developed by the NFL to promote football. The purpose was to introduce the basic rules and techniques of American football to teenagers around the world.
Compared to official football, flag football doesn't allow tackling or pushing. A defensive player stopping the offense is done by pulling a flag from the ball carrier's waist. It's a safe, "non-contact" sport, and now it has gradually formed its own small league and fan base.
Sun Tongfei: Don't spread April Fools' jokes. It's not funny.
Zhou Yuxiang: Xiaofei, Xiaofei, you're finally here!
Zhou Yuxiang: I'm not joking. I'm serious. I saw the news on the NFL's official website. I'm not that guy Xiaowei who always talks nonsense. Don't you believe me?
Sun Tongfei: No.
Zhou Yuxiang: Little Airplane, say that again?
Zhang Sanfan: I just logged onto the official website and read the news. It's true. The news is on the homepage. However, NFL China hasn't made any moves yet. We probably still have to wait for further confirmation.
Zhou Yuxiang: See?
Zhou Yuxiang: See?!
Zhou Yuxiang: See?! Little Airplane, buddy!
Sun Tongfei: Afan, is it really true?
Zhang Sanfan: Yes.
Zhou Yuxiang: Little Airplane, you're ignoring me! You don't believe me! Wuwuwu, what should I do? Little Airplane has abandoned me. I'm going to be alone from now on. Oh my god, what am I going to do?
Zhang Sanfan: Xiangxiang, Bambi is coming to Shanghai. Your first reaction is that Xiaofei has abandoned you?
Zhou Yuxiang: ...Could you please not expose me? Afan, an honest person isn't this honest. Seriously, you're a fox, aren't you? Right? I didn't guess wrong, did I?
Zhou Yuxiang: Xiaofei, what do you think? Bambi is coming. Are you excited? You're a quarterback too. Do you want to have a match with Bambi?
Sun Tongfei: Don't make fun of me.
Sun Tongfei: Bambi is a professional player. I'm just an amateur player. There's no comparison. But theoretically, we're both ordinary people. Even Bambi, he's not a superhero. We can still play on the same field. I can replicate Bambi's performance in the skills competition in this year's Pro Bowl. At least I can try. I don't think the gap between us is unbridgeable.
Zhou Yuxiang: Here comes Little Airplane again. A bucket with a hole at the bottom being used as a trumpet! Playing the pipa on an airplane! A sparrow laying a goose egg!
Sun Tongfei: Afan, do you also think I can't be compared to Bambi? I'm not saying I'm better than Bambi or anything, but at least we can compete on the same field. It's just a friendly match.
Zhang Sanfan: ...
Yang Nan: ...
Shi Yao: ...
Wang Sixin: ...
Zhang Jiaju: ...
Zhou Yuxiang: ...
Zhou Yuxiang: Hahahaha, Little Airplane, see? Afan is too honest to lie. Everyone, keep up the formation.
Sun Tongfei: Don't get me wrong. That's not what I meant. I just think that, theoretically, Bambi is an ordinary person, and I'm also an ordinary person. We can still compete on the same field. It's just a friendly match.
Zhang Jiaju: I think you're all missing the point.
Zhang Jiaju: Shouldn't the point be: Bambi is coming!
Zhang Jiaju: Bambi!
Zhang Jiaju: Bambi!
Zhang Jiaju: Bambi!
Wang Sixin: That's right, that's right, that's right! Bambi is coming! I can't believe it! What is Bambi? He's the Son of God! He's the Light of the Homeland! Or maybe he's the ambassador of football!
Zhang Sanfan: I want to sack Bambi once.
Shi Yao: Great idea!
Yang Nan: Great idea!
Wang Sixin: Great idea!
Sun Tongfei: ...This isn't fair. When I say I want to compete with Bambi, you all make fun of me. When Afan says he wants to sack Bambi, you all say it's a great idea. You guys are such bad friends!
Shi Yao: That's because you're too flamboyant.
The entire chat history scrolled down. In the short time Lei Qingkong was reading the chat history, more than a hundred more messages came in. More and more people woke up and all became excited.
Lei Qingkong was no exception.
He sat blankly on his chair, with his phone in his palm. His mind was completely blank. He couldn't think at all, but the smile on his face slowly, slowly lifted. Now, he only had one thought:
Bambi is coming to Shanghai.
Bambi is coming to Shanghai!
The big boy who had made countless historical achievements, the big boy who had declared to the world that Asian players could also stand on the professional field, the big boy who had carved out a world for himself in the professional league with his own two feet and hands, the boy who had lit a ray of hope for China and even Asia, the boy who had guided countless Chinese football enthusiasts on their path forward...
He was about to arrive.
That joy, that excitement, that happiness filled his chest, causing Lei Qingkong's fingertips to tremble uncontrollably. The passion deep in his heart burned fiercely again. Fourteen years, he had waited for a full fourteen years.
In 1998, as the national champion of rugby, he followed his university team to participate in the first national football championship. He witnessed glory and also experienced decline. He experienced brilliance and also felt pain. From rugby to American football, the love for football in his heart had never been extinguished.
Now, fourteen years later, he had finally waited for the first ray of dawn for Chinese football.
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