Dominate the Super Bowl

"Li Wei?"

"Please wait a moment on the side, the principal is on a call and will be with you shortly."

The African American secretary sitting behind the dark brown desk flashed a businesslike smile, and without waiting for Li Wei to respond, she lowered her head and continued with her work.

Li Wei wasn’t surprised, after all, he wasn’t here to receive an award—

Although it wasn’t exactly a scolding, today’s meeting was indeed about finding a solution.

Ten whole days ago, Li Wei had traveled through time, from Hua Xia in 2023 to... Tuscaloosa in 2016, and despite putting in some effort, he still couldn’t figure out the exact location of the city on the North American continent.

At that moment, right after traveling through time and before he could even process what was happening or who he was and where he was, he heard cries of "robbery, robbery" at his side, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure rushing by, instinctively reacting with his well-trained reflexes for cross-country running.

With a push off the ground, he caught up to the thief in two or three strides—

And pounced.

Li Wei swore, it was just a gentle pounce, like swatting a fly, without expecting the robber’s arm to snap like a dry branch lacking moisture in autumn—

"Crack," it broke.

Incredibly, it broke... it just broke like that.

Only later did Li Wei find out that the body he had traveled into was trained in mixed martial arts, not only was it taller and bigger in size, but the strength was entirely different too. He had just traveled through time and wasn’t yet fully in control of his body. He accidentally used too much force, and then... that’s how things ended up.

But at the scene, standing in front of the University of Alabama Library, Li Wei looked at the little guy lying on the ground, wailing and rolling around, as confounded as if he had been beaten up by Hulk, resembling Loki at his worst.

He himself was so astonished, let alone the onlookers coming in and out of the library.

Then, a bald man with a sunburned M-shaped hairline emerged, eyes shining with golden light, grabbed Li Wei, and looked at him with a face that seemed to say, "The old man sees something astonishing in your bones, a once in a century talent." The next second, he seemed ready to shove a secret martial arts manual into Li Wei’s arms, issuing the invitation with emotional eyes—

He sincerely invited Li Wei to join the university’s football team.

It took Li Wei a little time to realize that the "football" referred to here was not the "soccer" he was familiar with.

This was a completely new sport, esteemed as the number one sport in North America, with the famed Super Bowl being the highest honor in professional football events.

He declined firmly.

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Whether it was football or soccer, Li Wei, who practiced cross-country running, had nothing to do with these sports, having no knowledge or interest in them whatsoever.

Originally, Li Wei thought that would be the end of it, and he should concentrate on digesting the fact of his time travel, and seriously contemplate ways to get rich—

The year 2016, not much time away from his original life in 2023, missing countless opportunities to make money. The advantages of traveling through time were only so little after all, so how should he unfold the future?

He thought time travel was like a pie falling from the sky, but then he realized it seemed more like a test of fate.

He never imagined that there was more to come!

The robber sued both the University of Alabama and Li Wei, claiming he had suffered excessive violence and injury within the jurisdiction of the University of Alabama. He demanded not only medical compensation but also damages for emotional distress.

With a swift turn, the story took another direction.

Just as Li Wei was worried about how to deal with legal issues in a far and unfamiliar place, the University of Alabama indicated their willingness to help:

If Li Wei agreed to join the school’s football team, then the school would take care of the lawsuit.

Hence, today’s meeting—

To discuss the specifics.

Moreover, another key reason prompted Li Wei to agree to the meeting.

A system, a "Football Training System," that appeared in his brain following his time travel. Clearly, this was a benefit that came with the travel.

Football, again football!

Li Wei tried to open the system to test it and see what it was all about, then decide his next move; but the system had only one message:

"Join any football team to activate the system and receive a newbie gift package."

The thought of getting something for nothing was instantly extinguished.

Then, Li Wei did some research online about the University of Alabama.

It was a legendary institution in football, the defending champions of this year’s nationwide championship, undoubtedly a dominant force in the NCAA over the past decade.

Having caught the attention of a coach from such a prestigious football institution and with the existence of the system, Li Wei couldn’t help but ponder:

Could it be... he was truly a football prodigy?

Perhaps the key to unlocking his life in this new world and reaching the pinnacle lay in football?

After careful consideration, Li Wei decided he should give football a chance.

And so, he found himself here.

After a brief wait, the principal was still on the phone, and another key figure made an entrance.

The combination of a shirt and slacks completely failed to present a poised and dashing figure. Instead, it was evident from the crumpled clothes and the flushed, sweaty face how awkward the situation was. His round belly, much like a watermelon, strained the buttons of his shirt, which seemed to be crying out for help and ready to launch at any moment.

It easily stole the spotlight, as if the attention were placed in all the wrong spots.

Here, Li Wei worried over the precarious, pitiable button that seemed on the verge of giving way.

There, Burton Burns wore a satisfied expression, giving Li Wei a serious top-to-bottom once-over again.

This indeed was a promising prospect.

His appearance was bookishly neat: eyebrows well-shaped, eyes bright and clear, and his overall demeanor as refreshing and spacious as the morning sunlight filtering through the leaves of a plane tree in early summer—a picture of harmlessness. Loose, comfortable clothing completely hid his body; he was just a bit taller and more upright than average, nothing special really.

But he couldn’t escape Burns’s seasoned gaze.

Exact physiological data needed to be measured, but the eye test was already very satisfying:

6.1 feet (185 centimeters), 216 pounds (98 kilograms).

Perhaps to an onlooker, a bit too tall, a little too light, but to a professional, different.

Just right.

During the day he chased down the robbers, Li Wei’s explosive start and sudden change of direction skills were absolutely top-notch. His body was fully prepared, ready to plug and play.

Of course, the tackling technique still needed some work, otherwise the robber wouldn’t have ended up with a broken bone. But that wasn’t a problem.

Burns was very surprised.

This Chinese-American teenager was clearly born to play football, yet they had missed such a promising prospect. He could already visualize him sprinting across the field. After returning, he had checked the young man’s background—

Born in November 1995, he was a sophomore now. He had been practicing mixed martial arts all his life and never played football. When applying to schools, he had perfectly evaded the radar of all the football powerhouses; but his academic performance was outstanding, a straight-A student who was already interning in preparation for his future.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising.

Football’s promotion and popularity among Chinese communities was still far from adequate.

And it wasn’t just football; all competitive sports were the same. It was a profession where talent and ability were pressed to the forefront, and thousands competed for that one-in-a-million chance. Chinese parents still believed more in a stable 9-to-5 job, earnestly and diligently creating a life with their own hands.

The Li Wei before him, like an unpolished jade, just needed a bit of refinement to shine brilliantly. Burns trusted his judgment, and he could hardly contain his excitement.

Pff.

Burns rubbed his hands together, took a seat opposite Li Wei, and one could clearly hear the groan of the chair, as though it could collapse at any moment, while the soft belly fat piled up. Then he beamed a bright smile, like a creepy uncle wielding a lollipop.

"Wei-Li?"

However, as soon as he spoke, it was evident that this uncle had done his homework.

Because Li Wei’s name was very close to "Levi," his fellow students had always struggled to pronounce it correctly. They could manage "Lee" easily enough, but saying "Wei" seemed to ask their very lives of them; they always ended up with "Wayne" or some other strange pronunciation.

For the Asian immigrants born after 1995, one of the distinguishing features was that schools encouraged students to use their original names. There was no need for a special English name, in an effort to preserve their cultural traditions as much as possible—

Wei, that was "Wei."

Originally, Li Wei had an English name, but he stopped using it after elementary school. Instead, his friends gradually got used to calling him by his full name. Over time, they couldn’t even distinguish between his first and last name.

But Burns got it right.

The pronunciation was a bit awkward, but he indeed distinguished Li Wei’s first and last name clearly.

It was a pleasant little surprise.

After receiving a positive response from Li Wei, Burns broke into a wide grin, looking like a contented Buddha, "We may have had some misunderstandings when we last met; everything was too rushed. Today, we start over."

"Let me introduce myself first."

"Burton Burns, assistant head coach of the University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide Storm. I’ve been working here for a full decade and believe I will continue to work here for years to come."

"I love football!"

As he spoke, Burns couldn’t contain himself and became animated, clearly pouring all his passion into football.

"I’m serious. I believe you have extraordinary talent, absolutely born for football. Your height, weight, your instantaneous start speed, acceleration, and agility would all shine on the football field,"

"Your control over your body and your ability to predict your opponent’s running routes are hidden talents. They are unseen, yet can change the game. I noticed you used to practice mixed martial arts, but clearly, martial arts can’t showcase your talent, only football will allow you to perform to your fullest."

"You are a genius."

"Believe me, you’re a natural-born running back."

Wait a minute, that was a new term.

If you don’t understand, just ask. Li Wei looked at Burns, "Running back, what is that? Defensive backfield?"

Burns: ... The smile gradually stiffened.