Chapter 1437: Chapter 1436: Thousands of Galloping Horses
Miami, Hard Rock Stadium.
The ultimate NFL showdown for the 2019 season is about to take place here, and this stadium, which can accommodate sixty-five thousand people, is lucky to become a witness to history.
An entire week in advance, a vast crowd has been converging on Miami from all corners of the globe, transforming into an ocean. This sunny and leisurely vacation spot is packed, bustling with people, its streets and alleys never crazier before.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, celebrities from all walks of life have flocked in.
Heirs of luxury brands, new tech company CEOs, charity foundation managers, venture capital company managers, Middle Eastern oil tycoons, and so on.
The presence of celebrities, once seen only at F1, tennis, and horse racing events, has rarefied on the football field. This event is becoming the pinnacle of trendy fashion. Not only are the top stars at the forefront, but the capital behind the scenes also surfaces, forming a wave.
The VIP suites at Hard Rock Stadium are facing an unprecedented challenge.
Noisy, boiling.
The media throngs surrounding Ryan Reynolds in layers. The actor, who climbed to the peak of his career with "Deadpool," rarely appears at a football venue, attracting entertainment reporters.
Reynolds appears exceptionally calm and composed, "Ha, you guys probably don’t know, I’m actually a football player by origin. I was trying football all the way through middle school, with some occasional baseball."
"The reason you don’t know is because I was terrible, really, really terrible, which is why I sought another path because there was no hope down this road. But football remains the soft spot carrying my memories of my father, and I never expected I’d be here to watch a football game live."
"It’s difficult for me."
"But, who could refuse Li Wei, right?"
Because of Reynolds, the media is abuzz with laughter, so much so that they fail to notice the arrival of a heavyweight figure at first—
Stan Kroenke.
"Silent Stan," owner of the Los Angeles Rams.
In the NFL, everyone knows Kroenke holds Li Wei in high regard and very much wishes Li Wei would go to Los Angeles, but Kroenke never intervenes in the team’s operations, so the Los Angeles Rams have yet to make a move.
Nonetheless, Kroenke, who rarely appears at games, has often gone to watch Li Wei play.
Rumor has it that Kroenke and Li Wei are friends in private, and this billionaire is particularly fond of Li Wei.
Tonight, Kroenke is present once again.
Clearly, Li Wei just renewed his contract with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason, and it was a historic contract, making a transfer to the Los Angeles Rams nearly impossible; yet, Kroenke still came to the scene, which makes the reason behind it all the more intriguing.
Looking back at the Los Angeles Rams’ 2019 season, it was undoubtedly disappointing. Raring to go with determination, yet blocked from the playoffs.
Especially since the Los Angeles Rams have been recruiting heavily, gathering a batch of mercenaries, not planning to nurture their own young team, but aiming to make a forceful push for the Super Bowl to capture the Los Angeles market, repeatedly hitting a wall. This is certainly not what Kroenke wishes to see.
So, is Kroenke really just here to watch the game?
Not only the media, but other industry insiders and top celebrities are attempting to find out.
Unfortunately, to no avail.
Kroenke is dubbed "Silent Stan" for a reason; not only is he tight-lipped, but also low-profile and calm, making it impossible for others to dig up any information. Yet on the flip side, precisely because of this, Kroenke being able to befriend Li Wei is an incredible feat.
The air is filled with excitement, anticipation, and thrill, almost uncontrollable.
Although it’s still hours before the Super Bowl begins, the entire city and even the entire North American continent have already entered party mode ahead of time.
"Wow... Is this for real?"
Taylor Swift gazes out the car window, dumbfounded, all thoughts and ideas clogged, stopping her next words abruptly.
She has performed on the world’s top concert stages, at the Grammys and the American Music Awards, among other grand stages. She has seen the craziest and most excited audiences and participated in the grandest, most spectacular music festival revelries.
However, truly witnessing the fervor at Hard Rock Stadium, her brain freezes, deeply feeling her own insignificance amidst the sea of people.
Beside her, Ariana Grande can’t help but exclaim, though a bit better than her friend, "No wonder everyone says the Super Bowl is different."
Swift turns her head to look, "Hard Rock Stadium can hold at most sixty-five thousand people, right?"
On this, Ariana can respond, "Oh, it’s not just the stadium, many fans will gather outside as well. Some are here to make a last-ditch plea for tickets, while others are purely there to experience the atmosphere, even if just through the big screen, it’s still live."
"I heard it’s possible two or three thousand people could gather outside the stadium."
Swift takes a sharp breath—that means more than a hundred thousand might gather at today’s event—
The scale, it’s simply on a different level.
Swift thinks carefully, "... Wow."
Ariana chuckles.
Swift widens her eyes, "I’m left with nothing but amazement, I’ve lost my words."
Ariana pats Swift’s shoulder, "Ready? We’re about to face this heatwave."
Initially, Swift didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence. It wasn’t until she stepped off the vehicle and set foot on the ground that she finally understood.
The rolling heat wave, clawing and roaring towards her, not only hot but overwhelming, like a volcanic eruption, her feet could distinctly feel the trembling from the ground, and the scorching air almost burning her skin, a tingling sensation running through her body, goosebumps surfacing entirely, pores instantly closing.
On the verge of suffocation.
February in Miami, warm as spring, but this is not just spring, it’s entirely summer, momentarily plunging into the midsummer heatwave.
Vision, just one dimension, as hearing, touch, and smell envelop her brain, even taste perceiving the saltiness in the air, opening all five senses, slowly drowning and melding into this heatwave, seemingly swept into a tropical storm, instantly losing direction.
Unbelievable!
Swift, dumbfounded, looks at Ariana.
Ariana isn’t much better. Even with mental preparation, the Super Bowl’s grandeur exceeded imagination.
No wonder the media call this the most grand and glorious feast since the millennium.
"Ariana!"
"Taylor ahhhhhh!"
Screams pierce the sky, crashing in waves towards them, with the crowd at the edge of the player tunnel surging forward, iron railings and security personnel barely holding the situation in check.
As a chaotic disaster looms, Swift and Ariana lose their way, when a figure emerges from the front, calling out.
"Ariana!"