Chapter 439: The Optimal Solution

“Bambi, if you can keep winning the next two games, the San Francisco 49ers will have their first ten-win season in a long time. And because of the win-loss record within your division, you’ll likely clinch a playoff spot early. Do you have any particular thoughts on that?”

Faced with such an unexpected question, Lu Ke was stunned for a moment before he couldn’t help but laugh. He chose to be honest. “To me, it feels like the season is only just past its halfway point. It’s really too early to be thinking about the playoffs right now.”

These were his true thoughts.

But beyond that, joy and anticipation still burned brightly. “Of course, the playoffs are the goal for our entire team. We have a very, very outstanding team, and from here on out, we need to keep working hard and push for the playoffs. Without a doubt, this is very important to us.”

Lu Ke didn’t hide his ambition or his expectations. Forged and transformed by victory after victory, he was now gradually becoming a qualified professional player. Humility is a fine virtue, but in competitive sports, humility must be backed by immense self-confidence. Only with enough resolve and sharpness can one break through the siege and seize the initiative in a clash of titans.

Faced with Lu Ke’s polite answer, the reporters were clearly not satisfied with just scratching the surface. They pressed further with an even sharper topic.

“So, if you do get to ten wins, for a rookie, that’s an incredibly rare achievement. Do you have any special thoughts on that? Especially since you’re an undrafted rookie. A few months ago, you obviously didn’t expect this day to come, and in fact, no one in the entire Alliance expected this situation.”

It was a trap, a small one, designed to bait Lu Ke into making more radical statements.

But Lu Ke wouldn’t fall for it so easily. He smiled at the reporter and said unhurriedly, “Just as you said, a few months ago, I couldn’t have predicted the current situation at all. Therefore, I can’t predict what will happen after ten wins, either. Believe me, when it comes to making predictions, I’m as much of a rookie as you are.”

Harry Weens, a reporter for “Sports Illustrated” and the one who had just asked the question, was like a stubborn piece of plaster, impossible to shake off.

After this exchange, the reporters chuckled again, but Harry still hadn’t gotten what he wanted. A Four Catties Move Thousand Pounds topic shift, a bit of off-the-cuff humor, and Lu Ke had successfully controlled the situation.

Harry, however, showed no surprise or anger. Instead, he immediately opened his mouth to ask another question, preparing to press his aggressive attack.

This time, however, Lu Ke didn’t give him the chance. “Sir, could you please follow the proper order? I don’t think you’d want to be mistaken for a Chinese person; otherwise, I wouldn’t be so special anymore.”

An iron fist in a velvet glove, a blade hidden in the silk.

The Western world is always condemning Chinese people for their lack of public etiquette—for things like cutting in line, spitting on the ground, jaywalking, and so on. This is a fact, an objective reality; in terms of average public etiquette, the Chinese people do indeed have room for improvement. But to take a step back, every country and region has areas with relatively lower standards of behavior, and people with poor manners can be found all over the world.

Now, with a touch of reverse sarcasm, Lu Ke had forced Harry, who was about to “cut in line,” to shut his mouth. It was a clean, crisp slap, delivered right to Harry’s face.

Harry, having asked a sharp question, obviously wasn’t going to let it go. But Lu Ke, with a subtle jab that twisted the concept around, had forced Harry to clamp his mouth shut. He could only awkwardly swallow his follow-up words, his burning gaze fixed on Lu Ke. That ambiguous look was hidden in the crowd, hard to make out.

As for the other reporters, they savored the hidden meaning in his words, as well as the sparks of the confrontation. They happily sat back as spectators to enjoy the show, some even inwardly cheering for both Lu Ke and Harry. If the two of them started throwing punches right then and there, that would be truly explosive news that would rock the entire Alliance.

Unfortunately, Harry obediently shut his mouth and didn’t try to stir up any more trouble. This made the reporters quietly wring their hands in their hearts, feeling a great sense of regret.

However, even without the clash between Harry and Lu Ke, today’s game itself was full of hot topics and exciting moments: Lu Ke’s first showdown with Little Manning, the clash of titans between the 49ers and the Giants, and the shocking wager between Charles Davis and Spencer Larson.

“Bambi, before this game, Charles and Spencer both made huge bets, predicting the outcome. Now that the result is in, what are your thoughts?”

Even Jay Fox couldn’t avoid this question.

Not only because the bet had become so famous that it had caught the attention of the entire Alliance, to the point where even coaches and players from other teams were being asked about it on their official media days, but also because Lu Ke himself, in an unexpected interview on Thursday, had responded with a confident counterattack, further blowing up everyone’s interest.

Reportedly, Las Vegas had even opened a betting line—not on the outcome of the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Giants, as that regular season game was already available for betting, but on the probability of Spencer and Charles actually fulfilling their wagers after losing.

Now, the game’s result was finally out, and it was time for the bet to be paid. Every reporter was curious how Lu Ke would handle and respond to this, and Jay was no exception.

Lu Ke, however, couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle, because Eli had just congratulated him.

Apparently, Eli also had the mindset of a spectator enjoying a good show. To some extent, he was even gloating a little, seemingly delighted to see Charles get his comeuppance—or perhaps, he was just eager to see the embarrassing state Charles would be in while trying to fulfill his bet.

But in the reporters’ eyes, that smile took on a completely different meaning. It could be interpreted as the effortless ease of a victor, or even as the victor’s mockery and provocation of the loser. Recalling the Thursday interview, the reporters instantly grew excited—

The bombshell was about to drop.

“I’d like to thank Mr. Spencer Larson for his support of the team. It’s our honor that the team was able to help Mr. Larson win this bet. In the future, we hope Mr. Larson has the chance to come see a game at Candlestick Park in person.” Lu Ke’s answer was conventional, even a little boring—purely official pleasantries.

However, upon closer inspection, that wasn’t the case at all:

He hadn’t mentioned Charles at all, expressing his disdain and contempt—and… complete disregard—by supporting Spencer. This was the truly high-level technique, a magic attack completed without anyone even noticing.

Even though this wasn’t the first time the reporters had dealt with Lu Ke, at the end of the day, he was still a rookie. They didn’t know him well, and every week brought something new and surprising.

Only Jay was smirking to himself. ‘A top student from UCLA is definitely not that simple.’

“And what about Charles Davis? What are your thoughts on him?”

The question didn’t come from Harry, because every single reporter in the room was curious about the answer. There was no need for Harry to step in; someone else was already jumping at the chance. Moreover, the reporter who asked was worried Lu Ke might continue to evade the topic, so he just came right out and said it plainly, getting straight to the point—

“I mean, Charles originally said that if the 49ers won the game, he would crawl all the way from Hollywood to the Great Wall. And at the same time, during your interview on Thursday, you even gave him a suggestion…”

“I know what suggestion I gave,” Lu Ke cut in, interrupting the reporter with a smile. “And I was completely sincere with that suggestion. I think it’s a more reasonable and practical solution now. After all, I don’t think Mr. Charles Davis can become another Robinson Crusoe and cross the Pacific Ocean to complete his bet.”

He took the bait!

All the reporters exchanged glances, unable to contain their excitement!

Although the betting showdown between Charles and Spencer was full of explosive moments and highlights, it was ultimately just a war of words between two commentators. It was confined to the show “Inside the Alliance,” so the heat and intensity of the discussion were still somewhat lacking—

To avoid an embarrassing situation, or perhaps to prevent any negative repercussions, ESPN could have easily intervened if they wanted to, saving the two commentators from their predicament, or even helping them out by treating the whole bet as just another segment of the show.

After all, the stakes of this bet were truly enormous—it wasn’t as simple as “swallowing a microphone” like last time.

But now, the actual subject of the bet had gotten involved, and the situation was completely different. It wouldn’t be so simple for Charles to just let the matter die down. It had evolved into a head-to-head confrontation between a commentator and a player. The reporters could now use Lu Ke as an excuse to hound Charles about paying up on his bet.

It’s worth mentioning that Little Manning was also asked a similar question post-game, and his answer was even more intriguing. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to help out. But compared to Mr. Charles Davis’s situation, our team now has to face the bitter consequences of defeat. We really don’t have the energy to offer any help.”

On the surface, it looked like a set of official, polite remarks, but different reporters could taste different flavors within those words. What’s more, with Eli now giving a tangential response in addition to Lu Ke’s, this was definitely not good news for Charles.

Meanwhile, back in the post-game press conference, Lu Ke wasn’t finished with his answer. Just like his friendly suggestion after the first week’s regular season game, Lu Ke, with a completely sincere look on his face, proposed a solution.

“While I’m not sure how many months it would take for Mr. Davis to crawl on his knees all the way to the Statue of Liberty, at least that’s a solution that looks achievable.”

Following the “chocolate microphone” incident, Lu Ke’s latest statement was once again leading Charles down a path of no return: a road where, even if he wanted to deny it, he would be left with no defense.

Now everyone knew—this rookie quarterback was definitely not a pushover.