Lu Ke remembered that afternoon last fall, although the team had been winning, and after defeating the New Orleans Saints, it had accumulated a winning streak to twelve, and it seemed that it was not far from a full-win season, but just like the Green Bay Packers who suffered an unexpected defeat after fourteen consecutive wins in the 2011 season, the pressure of the winning streak began to breed unexpected difficulties and setbacks, and the San Francisco 49ers encountered a completely unexpected and severe locker room problem-

All the contradictions erupted between the offensive group and the defensive group, which also made the team's state stormy; In two weeks' time, they will face the mighty New England Patriots, and a winning season seems to be within reach, but it is possible that the pressure is gradually accumulating, and no one is sure whether it will crush them, and then they stand on the edge of the cliff, seemingly full of flowers, but in fact hiding a murderous intention.

Lu Ke, Willis, Arkens and others are all persevering in trying to make efforts, but ...... With little success, they themselves are all insiders, trapped in the game, and it is difficult to be an exception.

In this context, Lu Ke met Ryan in the hospital.

At that time, Ryan's condition was still slowly deteriorating, and after his ability to walk, his ability to speak was also deteriorating, and what was once a matter of daily life was becoming a difficult problem; But even so, Ryan still did not give up his attempt to fight, and this was not blindly optimistic - Ryan also had his own negative emotions, but the stubbornness of refusing to disarm in a desperate situation.

Sometimes, knowing that my struggle may not be able to change the outcome, I still try my best to let it go, so that the process of hard work and the process of struggle shine brightly and dazzlingly.

"Life is like the splendor of summer flowers, death is like the quiet beauty of autumn leaves", this is a poem from the Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore, which vividly interprets the mystery of life: everyone's fate is the same, and the finish line of death will not change; But the journey before reaching the end is ever-changing, and everyone has the right to choose and live their life in their own way - it is definitely not the end that determines the weight and color of life, but the process.

Ryan is interpreting this in his own way every minute and every second of every day, because every moment that belongs to him in the present is the best and happiest moment in the future.

In Ryan, Lu Ke saw his former self, the once self who was desperate for his dreams and hopes: everyone said that he could not become a professional football player - in fact, people's opinions are correct, without the help of the system, Lu Ke's dream is destined to be unrealized, he may be like John Ward, college graduation is the end of his career.

But Lu Ke never gave up, it is important to realize your dreams, but more importantly, the process of working hard for your dreams, those days of sweating and licking blood with tears and tears, every minute and second is precious, and at the same time irreplaceable, even if the end of the end is doomed to failure, so what? Who can say that the process of hard work is worthless? Is the journey of hard work fruitless?

From Ryan to Lu Ke himself, they saw two communities inside and outside the mirror, but the difference was that Ryan's ending still could not be changed, like a brilliant meteor gliding across the sky, blooming with thousands of lights, after all, it still disappeared into the night sky; And Lu Ke's ending has changed because of the system, he is on the road to realizing his dream, carrying his own beliefs, but also Ryan's persistence and commitment.

What's more, Ryan's spirit is still there, like this brilliant golden ocean under his feet, shining and lighting up the entire Bay Area.

Standing in this golden sea, staring at the tombstone in front of him, Lu Ke's shoulder line relaxed slightly, and even the curvature of the corners of his mouth became much lighter.

'Obviously, defending the title is definitely not going to be easy, and the problems we face now are probably more serious than at any time in the last two seasons. Lu Ke deliberately exhaled a breath exaggeratedly, and his exaggerated acting skills made Curry cry and laugh, he was still a little sad just now, and now he couldn't help but want to laugh.

Lu Ke ignored Curry, who was riding a roller coaster of emotions, still looked at Ryan, and continued seriously, "But it is precisely because of the escalating challenges that this is the driving force that inspires us to continue to improve and break through, isn't it?" The more difficult it is, the braver we are, because we are warriors, and we will never give up easily, let alone surrender, even if our heads are broken, we will fight until the last moment on the battlefield. ”

Those impassioned words were said in a calm tone, although the corners of Lu Ke's mouth were still smiling and his eyes were still shining, but Curry could feel a sense of loneliness behind those bold words - the loneliness and loneliness of the comrades-in-arms who fought side by side dissipated one by one, and the indescribable sadness made the soul gradually become heavy, the brighter the smile, the more painful the wound was, but it was never shown...... Lonely.

"Well, are you starting to regret it now? Do you realize what you're missing out on? I knew it! Lu Ke said in a brisk tone, with the joy of joking and teasing, "We will do our best to defend the title, and this season's playoffs will definitely be a wonderful journey!" Now it's time to look forward and see for yourself how we took a step forward and finally hit the crown! ”

Silent.

The words were cut off and silent, without a head or tail, without warning, as if they were sprinting straight ahead, but suddenly found that there was a cliff in front of them, smooth as a mirror, with a ninety-degree knife and axe, cutting off all the ways by force, and the surprise and panic caused by the abrupt accident inevitably surged.

Curry instantly understood the meaning behind the silence: Ryan was absent. Ryan will be absent from this wonderful journey starting next week.

The embarrassment revealed by just one silence made his chest stuffed with cotton, and he was so uncomfortable that he couldn't speak, Curry shifted his gaze a little embarrassed, raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, hiding his sadness.

"Don't worry, you won't miss the most exciting core part." Lu Ke's voice came from the wind again, even if he didn't see his expression, he could still catch the shallow smile in his words, and his tenacious and optimistic spirit was like the sun after a storm, "I think the nine people are bound to tell you all the news as soon as possible, and their speed is much faster than mine, making me feel like a tractor." ”

The joke...... Could it be a little colder?

"Besides, you've never been far, have you? You have always been with us, fighting with us, experiencing the beauty of the peak and the pain of the trough, no matter what lies ahead, we will walk side by side until the last drop of blood is burned, and then embrace the final outcome and refuse to leave any regrets, right? ”

Ryan is like this, and so is Lu Ke. The same is true of the 49 people in San Francisco today.

"Hey, you know what? This golden ocean in the Bay Area will never go away. Lu Ke still maintained a bright smile, but his voice was slightly choked, and the surging emotions also made him a little embarrassed.

The pain and difficulties endured by the 49ers in San Francisco are far less ferocious than the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis that Ryan faces, and only when he has truly experienced ups and downs and tribulations can he truly understand how much effort Ryan spent standing up from the wheelchair in the first place, and how much sweat it takes for Ryan to "persevere" and "fight", and he may need to work ten or even a hundred times harder than others to achieve the actions that others can complete without effort. It's like Lu Ke in the past four years.

The same is true of the current San Francisco 49ers. Because of injuries and the lack of major generals, they need to work harder and pay more to achieve the feat of last season; Even if you grit your teeth and try your best, you still can't defend your title, and you can only end up with a sad ending. But they will not give up, and the slogan "Fight Forever" is definitely not just talk, just like the golden sea in front of them, it will never dissipate.

After the fist was clenched and then released, a sore pain spread from the knuckles and palms because of the excessive force, but it reminded Lu Ke all the time: Never relax! This year's playoffs are a life and death for the San Francisco 49ers, and they have to go against the sky and fight their way out with their hands and feet.

Bending down, Lu Ke also placed the bouquet of daisies he brought in the flower array in front of him, becoming an insignificant part of the golden ocean.

"Stephen, let's go." Lu Ke gently patted Curry's shoulder, noticed Curry's slightly reddened eyes, and he joked lightly again, "Don't envy us, one day in the future, you will also have your own world in the NBA." ”

Curry pretended not to hear and looked off into the distance, hiding his emotions from the surging of emotions.

At this moment, the thick fog above the head slowly dispersed, gradually revealing the crystal clear baby blue behind it, a bright sunlight sprinkled down without concealment, faintly visible like the yolk-like sun, and then the whole world was shrouded in a piece of gold, the mighty golden sea was steaming up like this, it seemed that the entire cemetery had become a mirage, and the warm air flow was gurgling, making people can't help but wander in it.

Everything was like a miracle.