Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 702: 701 quirky and mischievous
 

Felix knew it was a luxury to wish for such a thing.

After the recurrence of his cancer, the true essence of life and death had become his reality. Every night when he fell asleep, he didn’t know if he would see the sun the next day; running was just a trivial dream, incapable of altering anything in life.

But still.

Felix couldn’t help himself.

Without realizing it, Felix looked down at his own legs and was overwhelmed with visions of himself running again.

If… if he could run once more before death came, unbridled, forgetting himself in the act, burning away his life.

Raising his eyes, Felix looked towards Li Wei and found determination and courage in those clear, bright eyes as they quietly ignited a light of belief.

Taking a deep breath, Felix seemed to regain his strength. For him, every day was a test, so there was no time for hesitation, nor was there any need.

With a smile, Felix’s expression brightened, “Annie, oh yes, Annie! How could I forget about that?”

Today, the reason he had invited Li Wei to the hospital was not for himself but for his good friend Annie.

Annie was also one of Felix’s chemotherapy mates. She had leukemia, had undergone a round of chemotherapy that lasted over two years, and had been declared cancer-free; but anyone who truly understands leukemia knows that the relapse rate is high, and Annie was no exception.

So, Annie returned to the hospital to undergo a second round of chemotherapy; however, unfortunately, several different treatment plans had not been effective.

What did this mean?

Perhaps… the time left for Annie was running out.

Felix and Annie, both having experienced the ordeal of being discharged after recovery only to relapse and return to the hospital, had forged a unique bond of friendship in this shared suffering.

They often joked between themselves, never knowing which of them would leave first; but whichever did, the other would be dressed to the nines at their funeral.

Felix knew Annie also liked Li Wei, and he hoped he could do something, so he summoned up the courage and extended the invitation.

Now, with Li Wei actually present, Felix was uncontrollably happy.

“Annie must be thrilled.”

“Annie… Annie!”

After calling her name twice, Felix realized they were in the hospital and should avoid being loud if possible, but he couldn’t help himself in his excitement, grabbing the IV stand, and eagerly leading the way out of the chemotherapy room.

“Annie should be in her room, we can just go directly there to find her.”

However, Annie was not there—

The room was empty.

This took Felix by surprise, leaving him utterly bewildered. He turned to Li Wei, and they looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

Li Wei shrugged, obviously, he was completely in the dark about the hospital’s situation.

Whoosh.

Mahomes, Kelsey, and other children undergoing chemotherapy could no longer contain their boredom and started pushing their IVs outside, making the hallway suddenly bustling, prompting the nurses to calm everyone down and usher them back to the chemotherapy room.

Then, Mahomes and Kelsey also stood at the doorway of the room, looking into the empty room, puzzled, turning their gaze towards Li Wei and Felix.

“Can I help with anything?”

A hesitant voice came from the doorway.

Li Wei looked up to see it was the woman he just saw talking with the doctors in the hallway.

Felix, “Ms. Gallas, where’s Annie? Li Wei has come!”

Jenna Gallas looked momentarily confused, “Annie went to the bathroom, hasn’t she come back yet?”

“Oh, sorry, Li Wei, welcome, very welcome, but…”

Welcome?

It seems not quite right, should it be welcome to the hospital?

Clearly, Jenna Galas didn’t know how to express it accurately either.

But Li Wei didn’t mind.

Anyone could see Jenna’s eyes slightly reddened, still showing traces of overwhelming emotions, which reminded Li Wei of when they brushed past each other in the corridor earlier, Jenna was thrilled that the treatment was effective—

So, did this mean Annie’s treatment was finally seeing some glimmer of hope?

If that was the case, Jenna’s excitement was completely understandable.

“Ms. Galas, it’s my honor. I am Li Wei, running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. I heard that a resilient warrior is also a fan of the Chiefs, and I thought, I definitely need to express my respect and gratitude in person,” he said.

Jenna looked slightly awkward, flattered as she gazed at Li Wei’s extended right hand, “Oh, of course, my meaning is, Li Wei, I know you. But thank you, thank you.”

Fumbling, Jenna didn’t know how to express herself, simply repeating a few simple syllables, trying to calm herself down—

Unfortunately, it was harder than imagined.

In the end, it was Li Wei who helped break the ice, “So, do we need help finding the heroine of today? Perhaps, she’s also looking for us?”

At that moment, everyone caught on, bustling out of the ward, scattering around to search.

“Wait, you two… wait.”

Seeing Mahomes and Kelsey also following out, Li Wei quickly called the two, noting the confusion in their eyes, Li Wei appeared somewhat helpless.

“We don’t even know what the heroine looks like; even if she stood right in front of us, we wouldn’t recognize her.”

Kelsey was half a step slow, exclaiming, “Ah.”

Li Wei beckoned the two, “Let’s go to the nurse’s station to inquire, maybe they have a photo.”

Li Wei was right, the nurse’s station’s medical record had a photo on file, and when the three saw the image on the computer screen, they exchanged surprised glances—

That girl!

It was the same girl from the stairwell just now.

But importantly, when that girl saw Li Wei, there was no surprise, no shock— she remained completely unflustered, not looking at all like a fan.

Moreover, “are you sure? She’s eleven years old now?” Li Wei carefully inquired, moderating his tone.

The nurse displayed an understanding look, “Yes, her weight has dropped quickly, and now she looks much younger than her age. We have been trying to find solutions.”

The three exchanged a look, did not say anything, and simultaneously turned back to the staircase—

Empty. There was no one there.

The three didn’t say much more, dispersing to help search.

Li Wei wandered around a bit, realizing they were like headless flies, aimlessly buzzing around.

Cooling down, thinking it through, his brief encounter with the little girl earlier clearly showed her to be a clever and quirky kid, far more mature than her age; what if she realized Li Wei and the others had arrived and decided to play a hide-and-seek game by hiding on purpose?

Li Wei had a guess.

He went back to Annie’s room, pushed open the door, and looked around. Still empty, no one to be seen.

But this time Li Wei didn’t rush to leave. He looked around the room, his gaze finally landing on the TV cabinet.

Moving closer, he opened the cabinet door.

A pair of big, watery eyes peeped out, flashing a mischievous smile, “Hi.”