Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 703: 702 Little Game
 

Thin, childish, with two unnatural rosy blushes faintly spreading across her cheeks, they highlighted her pale skin, while a thin layer of sweat formed on her forehead.

She was very small, curled up with her knees to her chest in the narrow space of the TV cabinet, her palm over her mouth to stifle any sound, but her eyes brimmed with laughter.

One could guess that this little girl must have been hiding in there for a while, stuffy and struggling to breathe, covered in sweat.

But obviously, she didn’t care, her eyes glinted with mischief, bright and sparkling, her excitement and exhilaration shining through her pupils.

At that moment, seeing Li Wei and locking eyes with him, joy and happiness overflowed from the little girl’s eyes—

It probably wasn’t because she saw Li Wei, but because her prank had caught Li Wei, her undisguised triumph shining brightly.

“Hi.”

A greeting.

Then, the little girl placed her finger over her lips again.

“Shh.”

Peeking out, the little girl looked outside, then surprisingly scooted back further into the cabinet, and cast a glance at Li Wei.

Li Wei: ???

Wait, was she issuing an invitation?

Li Wei looked down at his long arms and legs, then looked back, spread his hands, and asked with his eyes, “Are you sure?”

The little girl paused, pursed her lips, and chuckled to herself.

Reason told Li Wei that he should notify Jenna and the hospital and there was no need to continue the commotion, that this was the right thing to do.

But…

Li Wei didn’t know about the little girl’s life; he just had some guesses:

Only eleven years old, at an age full of playfulness and mischief, an age of exploring the world with curiosity, yet she had spent almost half her life shuttling between the hospital and home, living today without knowing if there would be a tomorrow.

No childhood, no playmates, not even a life.

She might never know the daily life of other children her age, trapped in solitude, like a canary that could only learn how to entertain herself.

If she wanted to play hide-and-seek, maybe… Li Wei should grant her wish.

Reason paused for just a moment; but Li Wei still sat down cross-legged opposite the TV cabinet, face to face with the little girl, keeping their eyes level.

“Hey, I’m Li Wei.”

The little girl covered her mouth, her eyes showing a rare shyness, and she nodded gently, “I know.”

Li Wei, “Ha, you were very well hidden when we first met.” then Li Wei extended his right hand, “May I have the honor of knowing you?”

The little girl stared at Li Wei’s right hand quietly for a moment, cautiously reached out her own right hand, but instead of shaking it, she formed it into a fist and placed it in Li Wei’s open palm, her small fist underscoring the largeness of Li Wei’s hand, causing the little rascal to widen her eyes in wonder.

“Wow!”

Li Wei couldn’t help but chuckle, also expressing his amazement, “Wow!”

“So, are all football players like you?” asked the little girl, her face full of curiosity.

Li Wei shrugged gently, “I’m not sure. But in a moment, you can ask my friends; oh, by the way, they’re also football players, and I believe they would be happy to satisfy your curiosity.”

The little girl could instantly pick up on the teasing in Li Wei’s words, she pursed her lips and chuckled, seemingly very pleased with her performance just then.

Seeing that the little girl didn’t shake hands, Li Wei didn’t press further, “So, who are we hiding from? The doctor, or me?”

A playful smile flickered in the little girl’s eyes, “Felix.”

Li Wei: ???

The little girl said earnestly, “Felix prepared a surprise, clearly just to see me cry. Humph, I won’t let him succeed.”

Li Wei’s eyebrows lifted slightly, “So did you just cry?”

The little girl: …

Li Wei, watching the little girl’s dumbfounded expression, let a smile creep across his eyebrows, “It seems, Felix succeeded after all.”

Whoosh.

All of a sudden, the little girl’s cheeks turned faintly red, as her eyes flickered evasively, concealing her shyness and restraint.

Li Wei stopped while he was ahead, “If you’re ready to give Felix a surprise, then we should prepare now. They should be back soon.”

The little girl redirected her attention, looking at Li Wei with a puzzled expression.

Li Wei extended his right hand like a gentleman, with a look that signaled her.

The little girl was slightly stunned and looked at Li Wei cautiously, but upon meeting his eyes, amidst her hesitation, she still took Li Wei’s right hand and cluelessly followed his movements away from the TV cabinet, “But…”

“Shh.” Li Wei placed a finger on his lips, “Do you know 007?”

The little girl nodded, “I know, but…”

Li Wei wiggled his finger between them, “You’re 007, and I’m 023.”

The little girl paused, then covering her mouth, she burst into giggles.

Light-footed, the little girl followed behind Li Wei, mimicking his actions. She watched as Li Wei came to the hospital room door, peeked outside, and quickly pulled back, retreating while dragging her with him.

The hospital room had a main door, with a small corridor upon entering. To the left was the bathroom, and to the right was a work counter; the room itself was beyond the passageway.

So, Li Wei led the little girl back through the passageway into the room, standing behind the walls on either side of the corridor, hiding their shapes.

“Shh. They should be here any minute,” Li Wei whispered lowly.

The little girl looked up at Li Wei, an indescribable excitement and joy swelling in her chest, not just because the Li Wei from the TV had appeared before her, but also because of what they were doing at that moment—

Nobody wanted to do this.

Her dad didn’t want to, her mom didn’t want to, neither did the doctors and nurses, nor her friends. They were all worried about her health to the point of exhaustion, long past having the energy or spirit to join her in pranks; but what was worse was that she could read those looks they gave her.

It was like seeing the Grim Reaper standing by.

Pity. Sympathy. Sadness. Over-cautiousness. They treated her like a porcelain doll.

She didn’t like this.

But she couldn’t protest either, because she knew they all meant well.

She just wanted… to be an ordinary child.

Like right now.

Lifting her head slightly, she watched the earnest joy on Li Wei’s face, not just accompanying her in play out of sympathy but truly immersed in it.

Li Wei would probably never know that when she first saw him in the stairwell, she wasn’t pretending to be calm but was absorbed in her own worries, not focused on others, and didn’t recognize Li Wei and the others at all until after they had left and she belatedly realized it.

Then, it was endless irritation.

Urination? Had she really brought up urination in front of Li Wei? God, what kind of social suicide was this?

So, she couldn’t reveal her panic and annoyance, only to play along with his plan, pretending everything was fine, all part of her own scheme.

Similarly, Li Wei would probably never know how much she admired his figure on the football field, his running, his roaring, his passion, which truly made her feel the vigor and boldness of life, the burning and uplifting spirit of the fight, and made her believe in the different possibilities of life.

More than once, she imagined herself running like Li Wei, not worrying about her frail body, not turning pale and gasping for air after running a few steps, not causing her parents and doctors to panic at a mere two coughs. She merely wanted to run freely under the sun and in the summer rain.

This was her secret, a secret of her own.