Chapter 690: The Crowd Boils
Few people know that the first football team in China was actually established in 1990, the original Beijing Agricultural University football team. In 1996, the China Rugby Football Association was officially established and joined the International Rugby Board and the Asian Rugby Football Union in 1997. In 1997, the national team was formed. Since 1998, a National Football Championship has been held every year.
In this land, the history and legacy of football are far richer than one might imagine.
However, compared to the promotion of the "three major sports" (soccer, basketball, and volleyball), football has never been truly promoted due to various constraints, such as venues, rules, and culture. For football enthusiasts, this has always been a regret. They hope that more people can appreciate the charm of this sport.
They need a Yao Ming. They need a Liu Xiang.
Now, the opportunity has finally arrived!
Lei Qingkong was a little flustered. The overwhelming enthusiasm made him lose his composure. He had finally waited for this day. From the day he heard that Lu Ke had become the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, he had been looking forward to it, looking forward to Lu Ke setting foot on Chinese soil and making people truly pay attention to and love football.
Until today.
The annoyance and hard work of working all night disappeared in an instant. Suppressing the excitement deep in his heart, Lei Qingkong quickly typed on his phone.
Lei Qingkong: Let everyone get mobilized. Let's all go to Pudong International Airport to welcome Bambi! The moment we've been waiting for has finally arrived! This is a football weekend! This is Bambi's weekend! Hurry, let all the fans get moving. Not only do we have to give Bambi a warm welcome, but everyone also has to promote it on all the major online forums to get fans from all over the country who can make it to come and gather here!
Lei Qingkong: I'll contact the NFL China side immediately. You all should start promoting on Weibo and notify everyone in all the teams to spread the word on WeChat and Weibo. This is our festival! We're going to celebrate! We're going to celebrate to our heart's content! Hurry, let's all get moving!
Sun Tongfei: Uncle Kong, it's two in the morning.
Zhou Yuxiang: Uncle Kong has been single and lonely for too long, and now he's suddenly getting emotional. He can't handle it.
Lei Qingkong: Xiangxiang, you can keep talking. I'll ask if we can have a training session with Bambi, and you won't get to participate.
Zhou Yuxiang: No way, Uncle Kong! How can you be so heartless and abandon me, your kind, lovely, pure, and beautiful shining little prince? If you're going to abandon someone, please abandon Afan, that rock-like guy, okay? He's too serious. What if he accidentally injures Bambi? What then?
Zhang Sanfan: I'm going to tell Bambi that you think he's made of glass and can't handle a tackle.
Zhou Yuxiang: ...Oh, Bodhisattva, Afan has also learned to be bad! How can you be like this? How can you!
Lei Qingkong: Xiangxiang, you can keep going.
Zhou Yuxiang: Uncle Kong, you're bullying me!
Lei Qingkong didn't continue the small talk. He sat in his chair and temporarily put down his work. He leaned back and began to think carefully. Everything he said just now was serious.
In everyone's life, there must be a source of passion, a dream, a persistence. They would do anything for it, contributing all their energy and enthusiasm. The result wasn't important. What was important was the process of blooming, running, and enjoying it to the fullest, letting their short lives burst into a brilliant light.
This was also the reason why he liked Bambi so much.
They needed a grand welcoming ceremony.
...
For Pudong International Airport, it was an ordinary and yet not-so-ordinary day.
It was ordinary because the flights taking off and landing were still coming and going, and the planes entering and leaving the port were still rotating between parting and reunion. Nothing seemed to have changed. It was not ordinary because the first-floor arrival hall was packed with a surging crowd. What was even more amazing was that, unlike the fanatical young girls who came to welcome celebrities, most of the people in front of him were tall, burly, and handsome men. The scene was truly spectacular.
Because of this scene, many passengers who had just landed looked at them with curiosity. A few brave ones went up and asked what was going on. When they found out that it was to welcome a football star, they all looked confused. "Football? What is that? Is it related to olive oil and olive trees?"
Although for most people, football was still a strange or even an alien sport, the small group of people who truly loved football were obsessed and crazy about it. Their numbers might not be large, but their passion was undeniable.
There were as many as five hundred veteran fans who came to the airport to welcome him today. They crowded the entire arrival hall, and even the second-floor corridor was filled with fans. Every corner of the area was packed. Even the fan groups for some of the country's most famous celebrities might not have had such a lineup or such enthusiasm.
The chattering and whispering of people filled the air. Every face was filled with excitement and thrill. They were eagerly discussing the upcoming meeting.
About the "Soup Battle," about the "Hail Mary," about the "Zero-Second Offense"... about everything related to Lu Ke, about all the details of the past season. Of course, they were also discussing the details after the meeting. What questions should they ask? How would Lu Ke respond? What would today's event be like, and so on.
Lei Qingkong was a little nervous. Because he was so eager and so desperate, the unreal feeling of gaining and losing something made his stomach burn as the moment approached. The countless messy thoughts in his mind couldn't be sorted out. He felt like all his thoughts were rushing toward him at once, and he couldn't calm down.
"Bambi is out!"
A voice came from the crowd. In an instant, everyone looked in the same direction. The air instantly froze, and a stagnant silence slowly spread, as if time and space had completely stopped.
The automatic doors opened, and Lu Ke, who was dragging a silver suitcase, appeared in their sight. He was wearing a simple white shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of canvas shoes. He looked like a regular young college student, walking out with his companions, chatting and laughing.
He was so close that it felt like he could reach out and touch him.
Lei Qingkong finally found his voice. "Bambi!"
At this moment, time seemed to be flowing backward, returning to his youthful days in college, returning to the days of fighting side by side with his teammates. For victory and for the championship, everyone was united and sprinting with all their might. Whenever he successfully made a tackle, his teammates would cheer loudly, "Nice job!" That feeling of satisfaction filled his chest and made his blood boil.
"Bambi!"
With a simple shout, he once again broke free from the burdens of life, the shackles of injury, and the constraints of age, and once again felt that vibrant vitality.
Lei Qingkong straightened his back and shouted with all his might, just like he used to on the field, yelling "Touchdown!" He was sweating, his blood was rushing, and he was bathed in the sunlight. A smile bloomed on his face.
Shout after shout, and then another shout. The shouts echoed throughout the entire arrival hall. In a trance, it felt as if this wasn't Pudong International Airport, but Candlestick Park. The change and shift in time and space gave him an illusion, an immersive illusion.
"Bambi! Bambi! Bambi!"
The vast shouts came in an endless stream. Lu Ke stopped in his tracks with a look of shock. He looked at the endless sea of people in front of him, not hiding his surprise at all. He had thought this was just a simple and ordinary visit because the promotion and development of football hadn't even started in China yet.
He didn't expect a welcoming party, let alone such a grand and spectacular scene.
The arrival hall he had imagined would be a normal scene of people coming and going. No one would know he was coming, and no one would care that he was coming. He would just be one of the countless ordinary travelers at Pudong International Airport, like a small pebble being thrown into a vast ocean, not causing a single ripple.
Before he left, Lu Ke had even made a bet with Leigh, joking about whether there would be a double-digit number of fans coming to the airport to welcome him. If there were, Lu Ke would treat Leigh to a meal. If not, Leigh would treat Lu Ke.
But now, it seemed that this meal already had his name on it.
Unconsciously, Lu Ke's mouth fell open slightly. He turned to look at his companions, strongly doubting his own eyes and trying to seek confirmation from others.
Vincent Camp was Leigh's assistant. Due to his age and health, Leigh couldn't personally accompany Lu Ke on this trip to Shanghai, so he sent Vincent to take care of all of Lu Ke's related matters. He had just turned thirty and shared some common ground with Lu Ke. They had already become familiar with each other on the long flight.
In addition, the physical trainer, Andre Richardson, also came along to take full responsibility for Lu Ke's daily training.
At this moment, Vincent also looked surprised. He patted Lu Ke's shoulder, gesturing as if to say, "Enjoy it. This is your moment."
The crowd in front of him was so overwhelming, the shouts were so loud, the smiles were so bright, and the emotions were so joyful. The entire world was enveloped in a lemon-yellow glow, beautiful and moving, hot and wild. The frenzy surged toward him. From San Francisco to Shanghai, everything hadn't changed.
The excitement was raging and endless.
Standing in the midst of it, Lu Ke felt his chest swell up like never before.
He walked forward in a friendly manner, showing a brilliant smile. He hugged, shook hands with, and greeted the fans. A simple gesture caused the crowd to completely erupt. The shouting completely lost control. Screams and cheers came from all directions, bursting with unimaginable energy.
NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 30 chapters in advance!