Chapter 1438: Chapter 1437: Warm Harbor
Noisy, crowded, chaotic, scorching.
The entire world was caught in a storm, spinning at high speed, the overwhelming heatwaves turning the blue sky into a brilliant red.
That kind of impact, so close, rushing toward her, penetrating her blood; imagination alone can’t capture even a fraction of reality. Only by being there, lost in the human sea of heatwaves, with the brain dizzy from the world, overwhelmed and weightless, can one truly experience the atmosphere of a grand carnival, swept away in a consuming vastness and vagueness.
Her feet, though standing on the ground, felt no gravity.
In a short moment, Ariana was almost lost in the heatwave, losing direction and balance, caught in a whirl of chaos.
Then, a voice broke through layers of barriers, exploding in her ear, catching a nerve, guiding her amidst the stormy sea to look over.
A tall, slender figure, simply dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, with no extra decoration, naturally exuding youthful energy, headphones freshly taken off hanging from his neck, the subtle curve of his lips instantly caught her attention.
She looked up and saw those eyes.
Bright. Clear. Like golden sunlight shimmering playfully over the ocean’s surface.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Ariana was completely stunned.
Li Wei thought the cheers and noise were too loud for Ariana to hear, unsure if shouting could penetrate the sound waves; he decisively broke into a jog toward her.
“Li Wei.”
Someone in the crowd instantly recognized tonight’s real superstar from the Super Bowl, causing momentary shock and disbelief, melting away rational thoughts.
“Li Wei, ahhhh! Ahhhh!”
Li Wei paid no mind, quickly charging ahead in a few steps, patting Swift on the shoulder, shouting at the bewildered face.
“Run.”
Swift reacted swiftly, instinctively grabbing Ariana’s wrist to run forward, but didn’t realize Ariana’s gaze was fixed on Li Wei. Swift, following Ariana’s lead, looked back at him. Li Wei gave her a glance, indicating she should leave first.
Swift didn’t ponder further; Li Wei’s eyes were extremely persuasive, and her feet subconsciously moved forward.
Li Wei looked at Ariana, his lips curved, smile blooming, mouthing silently, “Follow me.”
The next moment, Li Wei grasped Ariana’s slender wrist, charging ahead.
Ariana didn’t know what was happening, dazedly following Li Wei in a mad dash, feet unconsciously pressing the ground, sprinting at full speed.
Rushing forward, Ariana dumbfoundedly watched Li Wei’s smiling lips bloom, before realizing her own smile had followed suit.
Sunshine, brilliant, the entire world bathed in golden light, the ocean’s mist, the crowd’s heat, the all-encompassing sound of wind spreading beneath their feet, seemingly returning to the simplest, happiest memories. Nothing special was needed; just the act of running wildly could unleash endless bright energy, fireworks exploding in laughter, happiness accelerating the world around them.
She ran like this, eyes, mind, heart filled only with this man’s figure, pink cotton candy rapidly expanding within her chest.
In that brief moment, even as the world spun, the storm raged furiously, she seemed to enter a warm harbor, all chaos and violence kept outside, her heart finding shelter in that harbor, gradually lost in tranquility.
Everything started to blur, leaving just the two of them in the world.
Until oxygen was depleted, knees trembling.
Li Wei finally stopped, Ariana bent over, hands on knees, gasping for breath.
At this point, Ariana noticed Li Wei releasing her wrist, yet the heated sensation remained, slowly permeating skin and flesh.
Caught off guard, it fiercely gripped her heart.
Suddenly straightening up, Ariana saw Li Wei’s smiling face, “Sorry, got a little carried away, ran a bit fast.”
Before Ariana could speak, Swift, catching up from behind and gasping, couldn’t believe her ears, “A bit? Are you sure about that, sir?”
Li Wei burst out laughing, “That’s why I chose this job, isn’t it? Otherwise, I’d have used my brain, rather than running and colliding on the field.”
Pfft.
Ariana directly laughed out loud.
Swift couldn’t help but laugh either, “The way you put it, football suddenly seems primitive.”
Li Wei spread his arms, “Oh, it is. Trust me, it is. So, I’m tapping into my Beast instincts.”
Haha.
Joyful laughter echoed in the player tunnel.
Ariana and Swift both turned to look behind them, the crowd was losing control, chants of Li Wei’s name surging, sweeping the entire stadium—
Here at Hard Rock Stadium, not Arrowhead Stadium. Even at such a neutral venue, Li Wei’s appeal was astonishing, almost making one question whether the stadium was filled with Kansas City Chiefs fans.
Swift sighed, “You truly awaken their Beast instincts.”
This time, Li Wei burst out laughing, “Every offseason, I come to Miami to train; I think, after all this effort, it’s finally paying off.”
Swift, “Every year? Ariana also settled long-term in Miami.”
Ariana, “Me? Did I?”
Swift quickly winked at Ariana, “You said it yourself, planning to live in Miami long-term.”
Ariana finally realized, her cheeks blossoming into two rosy spots, stealing a glance at Li Wei, quickly averting her gaze, “Yes, indeed, I’m planning to move next month, perhaps, then I can come watch your training.”
“Of course, you’re welcome. And who’s not interested in watching a bunch of men constantly crashing into sandbags?” Li Wei said with a straight face.
Swift doubled over laughing.
Sneaking a glance, Swift noticed Ariana seemed slightly awkward and uneasy; she immediately took the hint, “Uh, Ariana, I’ll go take a look.”
Ariana puzzled, “Look at what?”
Swift stammered, “Look at… uh, the stadium, yes, the stadium, I’ve never seen a Super Bowl stadium before, there’s a halftime show tonight, right? I’ll go look at the venue.”
Stuttering and stumbling, Swift maintained a serious face, releasing Ariana’s arm, heading straight forward, “I’ll just take a quick look.”
This excuse… was downright terrible.
Li Wei and Ariana could both tell. If they couldn’t, that would be odd, wouldn’t it?
The two exchanged a glance, unable to hold back, both burst out laughing.
Ultimately, Li Wei was more open, “Is Taylor looking for the locker room? If she needs, I don’t mind leading the way.”
Ariana laughed out loud, scrutinizing Li Wei, her gaze meaningful.
Unexpectedly, Li Wei remained serious, “What are you thinking? The locker rooms are fully dressed right now, it’s not yet time to change uniforms. Please, dear lady, don’t get the wrong idea, okay?”