Chapter 443: Mischievous Curiosity

“Welcome back, our triumphant hero. Perfect timing, we have a distinguished guest visiting today,” Sophie said with a beaming, perfectly composed smile.

Lu Ke’s gaze fell upon Sophie. He always felt there was more to her words than met the eye, a profound light hidden in her gaze. Every one of their previous meetings had been just like this—at odds, their auras clashing. Today was no exception. The sharp edge hidden behind her smile and the subtle straightening of her spine projected a powerful stance.

However, the clash was only momentary. Sophie quickly averted her gaze and turned to Leonardo beside her to make the introduction. “Mr. DiCaprio, it seems our luck is quite good. We’ve happened to catch the hero’s return.”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve made the request. Please, call me Leo. It would be my honor,” Leonardo said, his face alight with charm. He was laying it on thick, which made Sophie let out a delighted little laugh.

Seeing this unfold, Lu Ke blinked, speechless. “If that’s the case,” he said earnestly, “then I must have crashed the wrong movie set. The hero of today’s game is still in the back doing interviews with reporters. Do you need me to go get him for you? Or did you two already have an appointment?”

‘Game hero.’ That Aura felt truly awkward, especially coming from Sophie. To Lu Ke, it sounded more like a swear word. Michael Crabtree, David Akens, or even Head Coach Jim Hubble—if any of them wanted it, he would gladly pass this Aura on to them. Lu Ke had no objections.

Faced with such an earnest reply from Lu Ke, both Sophie and Leonardo were taken aback for a moment. They weren’t familiar enough with him to understand his brand of humor. Logan and Marcus, standing nearby, were already trying to stifle their laughter, but the other two remained clueless.

Sophie, thinking Lu Ke was being serious, grew a little flustered. Her gaze darted between Lu Ke and Leonardo. “I thought… you were friends? Leo, didn’t you come all this way just to see…”

Her question was answered instantly. Leonardo had indeed come specifically to visit Lu Ke, even claiming to be his friend. With a face as famous as his, he obviously couldn’t be an imposter, so everyone had simply taken him at his word and didn’t press for details.

But as one question was answered, new ones popped up in Lu Ke’s mind. ‘Him and Leonardo? Friends? Why am I, the person supposedly involved, completely in the dark about this? Since when were we friends?’ If he recalled correctly, the last time they met in Philadelphia, Leonardo had been in an absolutely foul mood.

Leonardo chuckled, not the least bit flustered. Instead, he launched into another joke. “An excuse. It’s just an excuse. I just wanted to get a look at the locker room, to peek into this most mysterious of spaces. I had to know what on earth happened in here during halftime that led to such a nail-biting second half—and, of course, that spectacular finish.”

His deadpan expression was a living demonstration of the Mystical Technique of telling bald-faced lies. “I don’t actually know anyone on the team, so I borrowed this young quarterback’s name to come take a look around. I hope I wasn’t being too presumptuous.”

At first, everyone assumed Leonardo was joking and were ready to laugh. But then they noticed how incredibly serious his expression was. Now, with truth and lies all jumbled together, they were completely confused and couldn’t tell what was real. The laughter died, and their gazes shifted back and forth between Leonardo and Lu Ke, utterly bewildered.

Lu Ke spread his hands. “Sophie, have you ever considered another possibility? That he’s an imposter? You know, along the boulevards of Las Vegas and on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, so many performers make a living impersonating celebrities. Besides, haven’t you ever seen ‘Mission: Impossible’?”

As he spoke, he pantomimed the action. Lu Ke raised his right hand, fumbled around his chin for a moment, and then made a motion as if he were ripping off a prosthetic mask. The gesture was so realistic it startled everyone. You could even see Logan, the team clown, take two huge steps backward, making it impossible not to laugh.

This… what was supposed to be a joyous, celebratory atmosphere had suddenly morphed into a scene from a thriller. The whole vibe felt… off.

Leonardo watched Lu Ke with a helpless expression, then noticed the smug smile playing on Lu Ke’s lips. He knew it. Lu Ke was not an easy man to deal with. He’d learned that much in the taxi last time, and today just confirmed it. He had intended to play a little prank on Lu Ke, but instead, Lu Ke had completely turned the tables on him.

Shaking his head slightly, Leonardo spread his hands wide. ‘If you’re going to put on a show, you have to commit.’ He decided to play along. “Alright, you’ve found me out.” Then, Leonardo lowered his head and began to fumble at his own chin, looking as if he was about to perform the horrifying act of peeling off his face right then and there. Both Kaepernick and Crabtree were so startled they flinched back half a step.

Watching this, Lu Ke burst out into joyous laughter, and Leonardo himself started chuckling along.

Amid a sea of stunned faces, Leonardo nodded to Sophie, Kaepernick, and the others. “Thank you for your company. I believe this Luke Skywalker here can give me a tour of Candlestick Park.”

Luke Skywalker, not Lu Ke Skywalker. The slight change in pronunciation from Lu Ke’s name was discernible, a subtle way for Leonardo to tease Lu Ke and show he’d been keeping up with the recent news.

Then, Leonardo turned to Lu Ke, his gaze questioning. “May I have that honor?”

“Of course,” Lu Ke replied graciously, stepping aside and making a welcoming gesture.

Leonardo and Lu Ke left the locker room, one after the other. As the door swung behind them, everyone else seemed to finally snap out of their daze.

Kaepernick frowned, an indescribable irritation rising in his chest. He couldn’t tell if it was jealousy that Lu Ke was already hobnobbing with a top Hollywood superstar, or just unease and anxiety about his own situation. “What the hell was all that about? Was that guy an imposter or not?”

Between Lu Ke and Leonardo’s two-man act, a mix of truth and fiction, it was genuinely hard to tell what was real, leaving everyone a bit muddled. Professional football players aren’t stupid; they’re just used to their bodies reacting before their minds can process. Much of the time, their first instinct is a physical response, not a cognitive one.

And after the grueling battle they had just endured, their brains had all decided to clock out.

Standing nearby, Sophie was speechless. She stared at Kaepernick before her, her brow furrowing slightly. “Are you serious?” Her unspoken subtext was, ‘How could you ask such a stupid question?’ “This is Candlestick Park, not Hollywood. That was Leonardo DiCaprio. He was watching the game from a VIP box today.”

Silence. A wave of it. The players all looked at each other, processing Sophie’s words while replaying the recent events in their minds.

Suddenly, Logan threw his hands in the air. “I knew it! Bambi and Leo are friends! They’re friends!” Otherwise, how could the two of them have played off each other so well and fooled everyone? How else could you explain that kind of chemistry?

Realizing this, Logan started cheering. “God, how does Bambi know Leo? That’s Jack! Right? Jack Dawson! The guy who saw Kate Winslet’s…”

Logan didn’t say the missing word, instead cupping his hands in an arc over his chest. The meaning was perfectly clear, and the locker room immediately erupted into another commotion.

Even though they were in San Francisco, Hollywood and its movie stars felt a world away, especially a top-tier superstar like Leonardo. They never imagined he would just show up in their locker room like that!

After a moment of stunned silence, Aldon was the first to shriek, “I just shook hands with Leonardo! Yes!” And with that, everyone else started yelling in excitement.

Standing amid the crowd, Kaepernick felt a loneliness more profound than ever before. This wasn’t the career path he had envisioned for himself back on draft day.

…

Having just returned, Lu Ke was already leaving the locker room again. This time, however, he didn’t walk toward the players’ tunnel but headed in a different direction, toward the stadium stands. The noise and cheers faded behind them, giving way to quiet. Yet, the air still crackled with residual excitement and elation, a silent, surging current. The afterglow of victory lingered.

“So, are we really friends?” Lu Ke asked.

“So, you’re really not the hero?” Leonardo countered.

“No. At least, that’s what I’m supposed to say to be humble.” In truth, Lu Ke didn’t believe he was. Football was a team sport, and he wouldn’t be so arrogant as to think he had single-handedly saved the team.

“Yes. At least, I thought we were some sort of friends—more than strangers, anyway.” Leonardo smiled, extending a friendly olive branch. “Remember? You did invite me.”

Lu Ke paused for a moment before it came back to him. He had indeed invited him last time, suggesting Leonardo come see a game in person if he ever got the chance.

And so, Leonardo had shown up, making a special trip to Candlestick Park to support him.

Lu Ke nodded, then let out an amused chuckle. “So, what did you think of the game? Has your opinion of football changed at all? I seem to recall you having zero interest in it.”

“I have to say, football is much more…” Leonardo paused, giving it some serious thought before continuing, “…cerebral than I imagined. It’s not just about hitting and tackling. The dazzling array of tactics and the strategic planning are a real eye-opener. I thought basketball was complex, but clearly, I was wrong.”

Lu Ke didn’t comment, simply adding, “You’re lucky this was your first live game. Otherwise, it could have been a disaster that turned you off football for good.”