"Bambi, after a victory of this magnitude, what are your thoughts?"
It was a standard question, but Lu Ke paused for a moment. He was still breathing heavily, his body not yet fully recovered. The physical exhaustion was far greater than any other game, but his focused mind didn't feel it at all. He thought carefully for a moment before speaking.
"Although it sounds a bit ridiculous, the fact is, with this game, I've proven that I can stand on this field, I can complete passes, I can lead the offense to touchdowns, and I can win games. So, since I can do it, I believe that many others can do it too."
The regular season had been going on for fifteen weeks. Lu Ke had played in fifteen games, but it was only today that he truly proved himself. This was the "ridiculous" part of Lu Ke's words—it was absurd and surreal, yet it was the reality of social life.
The question of whether Lu Ke could become a great quarterback would still require time and experience. A single rookie season wasn't enough to prove that. But the debate about whether Lu Ke could even be a quarterback, a football player, could now be put to rest. More importantly, all the negative comments about his race could now be silenced.
After his words, Lu Ke himself felt a surge of emotions. The feelings on the tip of his tongue became complicated again.
"Bambi, were those words aimed at the racial slurs?" The aggressive question rang out again. The familiar voice didn't need any identification to know it was Harry Waynes, the persistent reporter who was always waiting for an opportunity to strike, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue.
Lu Ke gave a big, confident smile, looking directly at the source of the voice. His gaze landed on Harry, and he gave a concise and clear answer: "Yes." This confident, firm, and open response made Harry's malicious speculation seem dirty.
Then, Lu Ke continued, "When I'm on this field, I just want to focus on the game and on my passes. So, instead of focusing on those meaningless labels, it's better to focus on the game and on practice. I've already proven what needs to be proven. So, how about we focus on this victory?"
For the second time, Lu Ke gave a head-on rebuttal to the negative racial comments. As for the comments about his race, they could all be silenced now. With one victory after another, Lu Ke had proven himself. As for the comments about the game and the competition, they were welcome. This was part of competitive sports, and Lu Ke was more than happy to have a good fight with absolute strength on the field.
This rebuttal was like a slap, leaving a burning five-finger mark on Harry's face. As a reporter, how could Harry just give up? He was about to retort. He was going to point out that it was Lu Ke who brought up the topic of race. When asked a simple, official question, Lu Ke brought up the sensitive topic from the past two weeks and then blamed reporters for asking too much. It was completely hypocritical.
But unfortunately, before Harry could open his mouth, another reporter's question came even faster, instantly stealing Harry's chance to speak. "Bambi, can you tell us what happened in the first half? You didn't come back on the field after halftime. Was there something wrong with your body?"
Harry was left hanging. His face turned red and then pale. He gave his colleagues a fierce look, but he found that no one was paying attention to him. Then, Harry realized that there were simply too many stories to cover in this highly anticipated game. Everyone was eager to get their own scoop. Who would care about him?
"I'm not exactly sure, but I wasn't feeling very well. My body felt a little heavy, maybe I caught a cold. So, I stayed in the locker room to rest and adjust for a bit and unfortunately missed the beginning of the third quarter." Before he left the field and entered the player tunnel, the team doctor, Walter, found Lu Ke and told him specifically not to reveal his physical condition and just to say he had a cold. The main reason was that the playoffs were coming, and opponents were definitely speculating about the 49ers' condition. They didn't want to make it public until they were sure about the situation.
"And now? Are you feeling better now?" As expected, the reporters kept pressing.
"Based on the results of the game, I think I'm doing pretty well," Lu Ke said, easily deflecting the question with a little bit of humor.
Then came the routine questions about the two-point conversion at the end of the game, his opinion of Roethlisberger, his opinion of the Steelers' defense, and his thoughts on returning to the playoffs. After going around and around, Harry finally found an opening and asked his question.
"In the next game, the 49ers are going to Seattle to play against the Seahawks. Richard Sherman, a rookie cornerback for the Seahawks, called you a 'grandstanding clown.' What are your thoughts on that?"
On the surface, this was just a topic about two players trash-talking each other. But deep down, it was still a topic about race. Over the past week, the related topics had been buzzing, and the conversation had been escalating. Some people even connected this game against the Pittsburgh Steelers to Lu Ke's career. If he lost this Monday Night Football game, the racial jokes would probably not die down for a long time, until everyone got tired of them.
The topic's popularity and impact far exceeded expectations. That was why Lu Ke chose to take the initiative when he answered the first question, preemptively responding to the racial controversy and giving the most powerful rebuttal with a brilliant victory. He then stated his position that all conflicts should be resolved in the game and that strength would speak for itself.
Lu Ke had blocked all possibilities, which made the reporters very frustrated. If they didn't bring it up, the hot topic of the week would completely die. Lu Ke's response just now was neither arrogant nor humble, and it didn't have any potential for a sensational headline. If they continued to bring it up, it would just give Lu Ke a chance to hit back at the reporters.
After beating around the bush for a while, Harry finally found a way in and reignited the war. This was because in an interview last week, Richard had been subtly provoking the line of racial topics, and he didn't even hide his contempt and mockery.
But Lu Ke was calm and unhurried. He asked a question in return, "Who said that?"
This question, without a direct reference, could be interpreted in different ways. But Harry was relentless and forced the topic, saying loudly, "Richard Sherman." He was further forcing Lu Ke to respond.
Lu Ke didn't mind. He nodded, signaling that he understood. "Yeah, I'm not the one who's talking."
A clown? Who was the real clown? Lu Ke, who was dedicated to preparing for the game on the practice field and successfully won a tough victory? Or Richard, who kept making sensational comments in front of the media but still couldn't secure a starting spot?
This was the deeper meaning behind Lu Ke's two sentences. In just a simple question and answer, he had given a concise and clear response.
Harry opened his mouth, but he couldn't find the words to say. First, the race issue was blocked by Lu Ke. Then, the player trash talk was mocked back. To a further extent, if the reporters kept pestering him, would they become "grandstanding clowns" themselves?
Was this the reporters' own overthinking, or was Lu Ke one step ahead, completely humiliating them? Harry suddenly found that he didn't dare to gamble. The follow-up questions were stuck in his throat. Then, another impulsive reporter asked, "Bambi, are you calling Richard Sherman a clown?"
"You're the one talking right now." A gentle smile was still on Lu Ke's face, but with one simple response, he made the reporter choke. Everyone could hear the deeper meaning behind his words. The ones innocently provoking, creating sensational headlines, and focusing on gossip were the clowns.
Without realizing it, they had already lost the upper hand. What was more important, they had walked right into their own trap.
Was Lu Ke telling the reporters to shut up? Otherwise, they would look like clowns, relentlessly clinging to a single topic? The so-called kings without crowns were now reduced to clowns? But what was worse was that they couldn't even refute him!
It wasn't because Lu Ke's speaking skills were so good that they couldn't refute him. It was because the issue of race was already sensitive. Lu Ke had already fought back with a victory today. If they kept pestering him, they would easily get into trouble.
But should they just give up? Harry didn't know whether he should burst out laughing or be angry. The good thing was that his premonition was correct and he had shut his mouth in time. Otherwise, he would be the one looking foolish. The annoying thing was that in this confrontation, he still couldn't get the upper hand.
He wasn't happy when he was right, and he wasn't happy when he was wrong. This kind of frustration was hard to express. For this highly anticipated game, Harry had prepared countless questions, but after Lu Ke took the initiative, his entire plan was completely thrown off. Lu Ke had easily taken control of the situation. How could he handle this?
Harry couldn't help but look around the field. Everyone was exchanging glances, and they were all ready to move. They seemed to want to retort at any time, but no one wanted to be the first one to speak and become the next victim.
Suddenly, an absurd thought popped into Harry's mind: A player like this, a player who could silence all reporters, and a Chinese player at that, was this another kind of history?
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