Chapter 1440: Chapter 1439: A Heartfelt Devotion
Bitterness still spread on the tip of her tongue, but Ariana’s center of gravity had already returned to the ground.
Awkwardness, sadness, pain gently tugged at her chest, yet after disappointment and regret, she found sunshine again—
Perhaps, this was a good thing.
All along, Ariana’s romantic journey has been bumpy, daring to love and hate, boldly loving and boldly saying goodbye, circling around without finding a way to happiness. She finally found a truly good man, but he already liked someone else; does it mean missing out on a romance yet gaining a friend?
If they dated, if they got together, would they fall into the whirlpool of arguments, tugging, weariness, and irritation, repeating endlessly, until the relationship was completely severed?
But now, perhaps they could preserve those precious and touching parts without having to go through those ugly and hideous processes again. She was still willing to stand on the stands of the sports arena, applauding for Li Wei, cheering for Li Wei, because she liked Li Wei, not just him as a person, but also his fighting spirit, his persistence, his belief—
When watching him race and struggle on the field, she was still willing to believe that dawn was in the front, dreams could come true, and the bluebird of happiness was flapping its wings in the sky.
After a brief struggle and tugging, looking directly again into Li Wei’s eyes, Ariana slightly lifted her chin and regained her body’s balance.
"Oh, I didn’t expect you to be such a Li Wei. Your arrogance can’t fit in the entire Hard Rock Stadium." Ariana also made a small joke.
Li Wei spread his arms calmly with a face full of tranquility, "I thought you’d be used to it by now. Isn’t Hollywood just full of arrogance and conceit?"
Ariana was directly amused, "Ha. Spot on, completely spot on. But I think Hollywood is slightly inferior compared to the world of competitive sports."
Li Wei, "Both are primitive jungles; there’s no need to compete between them, right?"
"Haha." Ariana laughed particularly happily.
Her mood seemed to brighten up once again.
Ariana quietly observed Li Wei, "You just said, you have someone you like, but you didn’t say you have a girlfriend."
Li Wei revealed a slightly awkward smile, "Caught. Yes, I have someone I like, but I haven’t confessed yet."
Ariana’s eyes widened without hiding her surprise.
Li Wei, "Actually, she confessed to me, but I haven’t responded to her yet."
Ariana was even more surprised, but after seriously thinking, she showed a sudden realization expression, "So that’s the kind of Li Wei you are, intentionally keeping others in suspense, managing a vast fishing pond, refusing to respond directly, didn’t expect you to also be a bad guy."
Li Wei: ???
How did things turn out like this?
However, Li Wei didn’t argue, instead he chuckled, "So do you now feel like you’ve dodged a bullet?"
Ariana shook her head, "No, I’m rather a bit sad. Why do I always like bad men? This time, I thought I finally liked a good man; the truth broke my heart."
Li Wei burst out laughing, "Haha. Perhaps the truth is, all the men in the world are alike, or rather, all love is alike, constantly adjusting amidst mutual harm and mutual warmth. There’s no perfect partner, and no perfect love, only the most suitable one for each other."
Ariana was stunned, completely stunned. Gazing into the depths of Li Wei’s eyes, tears faintly glistened as her defenses were instantly shattered.
Li Wei noticed, "Ariana?"
Ariana took a deep breath, looking at the helpless man in front of her, a smile climbing her lips, "It’s okay, I’m just sighing that my taste isn’t so bad after all, at least I was right once."
Li Wei froze.
Ariana watched Li Wei’s expression, her smile fully bloomed, "Don’t worry, having just been rejected once, I’m not planning to get rejected a second time."
Li Wei promptly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and apology.
The obedient look made Ariana laugh joyfully, "You should hurry up and get ready for the match, I’m looking forward to witnessing a historic moment today."
Li Wei: Uh...
Ariana tilted her head, "What, do you think a failed confession means you need to turn around and flee? No, modern women aren’t that shy, and there are countless good men still out there, I’m not leaving; I’m planning to watch the whole match and cheer for you actively!"
Li Wei showed a bit of confusion, "Should I... feel happy?"
Ariana laughed heartily again, turning and running toward Swift’s departure direction.
Having run a few steps, seemingly realizing something, she turned around again, looking back at Li Wei, Ariana shouted loud.
"You can do it, Li Wei! I believe in you!"
"He’s here, he’s there, he’s everywhere, he’s the Edgerunner, Li Wei, Li Wei, Li Wei!"
"Tonight we’re all Chieftains, fighting side by side!"
Shouting, Ariana kept retreating, turning to run forward two steps, then turned back for the second time to look at Li Wei, shouting again.
"And one more thing."
Li Wei listened.
"I haven’t given up. I just said, there’s still a whole forest out there, and you’re among them, aren’t you? Anyway, you haven’t accepted that girl’s confession yet, which means you’re still in the market, I still have a chance, right?"
"Li Wei! Charge!"
Seeing Li Wei looking bewildered, Ariana couldn’t hold back anymore and burst into laughter, but didn’t wait for Li Wei to respond, turning and sprinting away.
Swift witnessed the scene, stunned, completely unaware of what was going on, ran out from a hiding spot, shouted quickly, "Ariana!"
Then Swift joined Ariana’s ranks, the two laughing loudly, running forward hurriedly.
Li Wei: Uh, hey... hey! Wrong direction, that’s towards the field...
Li Wei tried to remind them, but clearly, they were enjoying themselves playfully, not inclined to pay attention to Li Wei’s response.
Then, footsteps closing to the field, they screeched to a halt, scrambling back in haste, reappearing in Li Wei’s view.
Li Wei showed a smile, pointing to the path leading to the VIP box passage, "There."
Ariana only felt her cheeks burning intensely.
Swift was exclaiming, "Ariana, what did you do? Oh, God, what did you do?" Laughing and screaming intertwined, the two hastily escaped, leaving only the sound of laughter lingering faintly.
A figure emerged amidst noise and clamor behind Li Wei, bumping into him clumsily, "That was..."
Li Wei turned sharply, seeing Kelsey dazedly glancing towards the VIP box, the longing in her gaze utterly undisguised.
"Was that, Taylor?"
Li Wei chuckled lightly, didn’t answer, turned around and stepped towards the locker room.
Kelsey then reacted, completely forgetting why she came looking for Li Wei, her mind turning into mush, hurriedly following Li Wei closely, "Rookie, was that just Taylor? Why is she here?"
"Professor. Professor, what’s going on?"