Chapter 442: A VIP Visit

The entire Alliance knew: Charles Davis had crashed and burned.

On the show “Inside the Alliance,” Charles had indeed paid his debt, albeit through a clever workaround. Nevertheless, it was an undeniable slap in the face—a stinging handprint that would serve as his mark of shame for a long time to come.

The large-scale world map was undoubtedly a good idea, sparing Charles from an even more embarrassing predicament. But even such an ingenious solution couldn’t hide the fact that he had been proven wrong time and time again. This particular fall left Charles well and truly battered and bruised.

This “Crossing the Pacific Ocean” bet was on a completely different level than the “swallowing a microphone” bet from the first week—in terms of influence, attention, and even severity. It was several steps above. Even among the wild prop bets in Las Vegas, this was in a class of its own.

The surge in online traffic and television ratings was just one facet of the event’s far-reaching repercussions. The day after the “Inside the Alliance” episode aired, more than one hundred and fifty sports media outlets ran the story, widely publicizing Charles’s failure, his plight, and the humiliating fulfillment of his bet.

Every one of their media peers eagerly jumped at the chance to kick a man while he was down, stirring up a frenzy of discussion. To them, Lu Ke was a viral story, but so was Charles. If necessary, they could make themselves into a viral story too. In a flash, this had become the biggest—or at least one of the biggest—stories of the 2011 season:

An undrafted rookie of Chinese descent, an analyst repeatedly humiliated, a stunning comeback victory, and an outlandish bet. With so many hot-button issues colliding, how could it not grab people’s attention? How could it not spark a debate?

From the media to the general audience, from the sports world to the entertainment industry, from die-hard fans to the average person, everyone was talking about the spectacle. On one hand, Charles’s downfall and predicament became prime material for a good laugh on the internet. On the other hand, the name “Lu Ke-Skywalker” was evolving into a new pop culture symbol, just like the actual *Star Wars* films.

First against the Detroit Lions, then the New York Giants. In two powerhouse matchups, Lu Ke had delivered spectacular performances and repeatedly made Charles and his legion of haters eat their words. His exploits had become one of the hottest topics of conversation among young people.

Charles was facing the biggest crisis of his career and blamed it all on Lu Ke, developing a deep-seated grudge against him. But as for Lu Ke, he had already put the whole thing out of his mind after the post-game press conference. As a professional athlete, he had more important things to focus on than Charles and his ridiculous bets.

While the NFL was a massive stage under the public eye, it was still competitive sports, not a Hollywood production. Off-the-field drama would always be just a sideshow. On-the-field performance and winning games were what truly mattered.

Lu Ke constantly reminded himself that his entire Aura came from winning. The moment he started losing, that Aura would vanish in a heartbeat. As an Asian living in North America, and as an Undrafted Player fighting for his spot on the field, Lu Ke understood this better than anyone.

But that was easier said than done, especially after one victory after another brought a relentless flood of applause and cheers. One moment he was bathing in the searing heat of the reporters’ flashbulbs, the next he stepped into the locker room and felt another spotlight switch on. There was no time or space to think before the feverish adoration hit him head-on.

「Let’s rewind to the end of the post-game press conference against the New York Giants.」

At that time, people still didn’t know how Charles Davis would fulfill his promise. They didn’t know the dramatic, back-and-forth game had become an official “game of the week” recommendation by the Alliance. And they certainly didn’t know just how many new fans Lu Ke had won over with this victory.

At the time, however, the San Francisco 49ers players knew that even without the halo from all the off-field news, Lu Ke was still a rapidly rising star on the team. It wasn’t just that he’d burst onto the scene as an Undrafted Player; it was that the speed of his ascent was beyond anyone’s imagination. It was… a meteoric rise.

Lu Ke pushed open the door to the locker room. Instantly, scorching gazes swarmed him from all directions, landing on his skin with a dense, sharp heat, like having a pot of boiling water splashed right on him. Lu Ke froze for a second, then turned to the nearest person, Colin Jones, his face a mask of utter confusion.

Jones didn’t answer. His face flushed with excitement, he just raised both hands and shot Lu Ke a big thumbs-up.

It seemed like a celebration for winning the game, but something about it felt strangely off, in a way he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Lu Ke tilted his head, unable to make sense of it, and walked dazedly into the locker room. He was immediately swarmed by teammates, their wide eyes filled with blatant admiration and envy. Giving a thumbs-up seemed to be the standard gesture.

‘This is getting weirder and weirder.’

Logan and Marcus rushed him, one after the other, forcefully bumping his shoulders and slapping his back. It looked like they were ganging up to beat him. “Ow!” Lu Ke yelped, shaking off their clinging hands. “Hey! Hey! You two! You have ADD or something?”

But the two of them paid him no mind, flanking him on his left and right. “Fess up, when did this happen? We didn’t hear a thing about it!”

“Yeah, seriously! Pulling something like this off behind our backs! That’s crazy!”

“C’mon, tell us, how’d you two meet? Don’t tell me you picked him up at a bar? HAHAHAHA.”

“He came all the way here just to watch the game today. This must be serious. You’ve been hiding this from us for so long, you’re buying tonight. You have to! Hey, you think if we invite him to the bar for a drink, he’ll say no?”

“Let’s try, let’s try! Wait, or are you guys planning to meet up in private? If so, count me in, yeah?”

“Me too, me too!”

“Let’s all go to the bar together. All of us.”

The incessant chatter made no sense. Instead of getting answers, Lu Ke only grew more confused. He had to raise his right hand and give both of them a sharp rap on the forehead. As the two guys winced and rubbed their heads, Lu Ke threw his hands up. “What are you talking about? Can someone please explain this to me?”

Just then, Aldon Smith walked past, his face a mask of astonishment and his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He shot Lu Ke two thumbs-up, stuck out his tongue dramatically, and growled in a rough voice, “Swag!”

He followed it up with an exaggerated squat, mimicking the swagger of a hip-hop artist to show off. But his knees suddenly went weak, and he almost face-planted, looking like a clumsy clown.

Logan and Marcus roared with laughter at the ridiculous sight, but Lu Ke couldn’t even crack a smile. He pointed at Aldon. “That! That right there! What is going on? And you two!”

“It’s Ryo! Leonardo DiCaprio! You don’t know?” Logan’s explanation came out of nowhere and didn’t clarify anything. But it didn’t matter, because the man himself appeared in Lu Ke’s line of sight, instantly answering all his questions while simultaneously creating even more—

Accompanied by Sophie Brook, Leonardo was walking toward him, beaming. On his other side were Colin Kaepernick and Michael Crabtree, with a few other players trailing two or three steps behind, forming a bustling entourage.

People always say that sports and entertainment are two sides of the same coin. There are many similarities between competitive sports and the entertainment industry: both exist under the glare of the media spotlight, both involve performing on a stage to win over an audience, and both rely on those performances to generate income and attract the favor of sponsors. Plus, they are all subjects of intense focus for television, newspapers, and new media.

But in reality, the overlap between the two industries wasn’t as great as one might think. More often than not, they were two separate worlds that rarely intersected. Actors might support their favorite teams, and players might like certain actors, but that was usually the extent of it.

So when an actor and a group of athletes found themselves in the same room, it always made for quite a scene.

On this San Francisco 49ers team, there were no A-list superstars; Patrick Willis and Vernon Davis were the most famous players in the Alliance. Leonardo DiCaprio, on the other hand, was a world-famous, top-tier celebrity. From the classic *Titanic* to the more recent *Inception*, he was absolutely a household name.

‘And just like that, everything made sense. No wonder the players were so hyped up. No wonder everyone was so fired up and jumping around.’ After a hard-fought victory, a world-famous actor was visiting their locker room to congratulate them personally. What could possibly be more exciting?

‘But that was the problem. Why? Why was everyone giving me the thumbs-up? And why was Leonardo DiCaprio in our locker room? If I remember correctly, he’s a Los Angeles Lakers fan. His knowledge of football is supposed to be next to nothing. So, what’s going on here?’

Just then, Sophie Brook noticed Lu Ke. She stopped and offered a polite, professional smile. “Welcome back, our returning hero. As it happens, we have a distinguished guest visiting today.”