"Witnessing the rise of the 49ers again, that's the best thing."

Ryan said calmly, no complaints, no resentment, no cynicism, not even ups and downs, with a hint of relief in his words, as if he accepted his fate calmly.

In fact, Lu Ke had no way to refute it. Because in terms of current medical conditions, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a terminal disease, there is no possibility of cure, and there is not even an effective treatment to curb it.

Even if Lu Ke knew that this was to be captured, disarmed and surrendered, even if Lu Ke knew that this was self-abandonment and resignation, he had no way to say, "You can't give up hope"; There's no way to say, "Your ending may be different," and there's no way to say, "Try harder and keep looking," because that's all irresponsible lies.

Compared to Jonathan, Ryan is more calm, calmer, but also more bitter, two years of struggle, he has experienced more than others can imagine.

Everyone knows that the end of life is death; But not everyone knows when the end will come. Lu Ke will never know what kind of state of mind a person is in when he receives an exact death notice; But he knew that even before death came, he wanted to be able to release all the fragrance like a summer flower.

Those high-sounding truths paused because his gaze fell on Ryan's thin shoulders, facing Jonathan and facing Ryan are different after all.

Lu Ke's eyes looked at the No. 14 jersey and said, "Do you know what that sentence means?" Ryan didn't know why, but there was no way to turn his head, Lu Ke had to add, "The sentence on the jersey. ”

Ryan was slightly stunned.

Of course, Ryan knew that he had read it carefully when Jonathan gave it to him himself, but after that, that sentence gradually became part of the jersey, and it was integrated with "No. 14", but he never thought twice about what that sentence meant.

"You know, birth, old age, sickness and death are subjects that everyone must learn, no one can escape, but no one can really learn. Even if we go through it again and again, we still can't learn after all. Lu Ke's eyes also looked out the window and said quietly, "It's like an injury, we all know that injuries on the rugby field are inevitable, but when it really happens, we still can't accept it, we start complaining, we start fighting, we start struggling." ”

"Death and parting, this is a predestined thing, so everyone is trying in their own way, blooming in the limited journey, trying to prove that they once existed, but unfortunately, not everyone can do it, only a very small part is the bright and shining giant stars in the night sky, and the rest are faint and small lights, ordinary and ordinary, their disappearance, no one seems to notice at all."

"But people forget that without these small lights, they would not be able to bring out the dazzling and great light of those bright lights."

In the entire ward, only Lu Ke was quietly speaking, this is a Lu Ke that Ryan has never seen before, without the decisiveness and strength on the court, nor the kindness and concentration on the training ground, just like a big boy next door, so approachable that he can't feel any light, but his body still blooms with that indomitable perseverance, like the sun blooming with a warm light.

Suddenly, Lu Ke turned his head, looked at Ryan, and showed a big smile, "You know what? To this day, I still miss John Ward, my college classmate. Like him, I came from the sparring team, and in my senior year, we both came off the bench side by side. ”

"We don't have the talent to compare to Logan and Marcus, let alone the likes of Cam Newton and Andrew Lacker." Lu Ke suddenly became excited, "But it's John, in the 2010 NCAA finale, at the last moment, I successfully connected with him, completed the lore, defeated the USC Trojans, God, that time to catch the ball, he was simply Peter Pan Pan, the whole person was almost about to take off, it's incredible." ”

Even though it has been a long time since now, every time he tastes it, Lu Ke still can't help but chew it carefully, and those youth, wanton and flamboyant are still vivid.

"And then?" Ryan couldn't help but ask, because he had never heard the name John Ward, and in the 2011 draft, the three most famous musketeers at UCLA were the San Francisco 49ers' current Iron Triangle, but there was no John Ward.

"He's retired." Lu Ke said lightly.

"Ahh Ryan's exclamation overflowed softly.

Lu Ke did not feel lonely and sad at all, "Hollywood fairy tales, I am enough for one." This self-joking ridicule made Ryan laugh too.

John's talent is still limited, and now the white wide receiver has less and less room to survive, and even if he participated in that year's draft, it is very likely that he will not be selected. So, after careful consideration, he chose to retire and leave those good things in the college arena forever. Lu Ke then finished the story.

There are no ups and downs, no stormy waves, and even calm and a little boring. Reality is not a movie after all.

"But for me, John will always be the most important part of my memory." The shallow smile on the corner of Lu Ke's mouth carried a touch of perseverance.

Suddenly, Ryan asked curiously, "Is it even more important than Logan and Marcus?" ”

Lu Ke smiled dumbly, but he still thought about it seriously, and finally nodded in affirmation, "Yes." For John and I, Logan and Marcus were also unreachable main players, and of course, Logan and I have known each other for almost a lifetime, and our friendship is irreplaceable. But in training, in rugby, John and I were both sparring players, and there was no substitute for that experience. ”

After finishing speaking, Lu Ke raised his right hand and pointed to Ryan's jersey, "That's what that sentence means." ”

Ryan lowered his head and found the sentence on his shoulder:

To Ryan Baldwin,

If they say, who cares that another light goes out, and it is shining under billions of stars? Yes, I care.

Lu Ke. ”

Involuntarily, Ryan whispered the words, and the familiar syllables were pieced together to evolve into a completely different rhythm, which was wonderful.

Lu Ke's words rang out immediately, "Yes." Under the billions of stars in the sky, who would notice that a light went out? In the midst of a drop in the ocean of the vast universe, who would notice the end of a life? ”

Ryan suddenly realized that this was him.

He turned his head slowly, slowly, and such a simple action for ordinary people consumed all his energy, and the whole person seemed extremely difficult; But he didn't give up, and unswervingly completed the whole action, and his eyes fell firmly on Lu Ke's face.

Finally, he finally met Lu Ke's eyes, those bright eyes like obsidian.

"Yes, I care." Lu Ke said.

Involuntarily, the smile on the corner of Ryan's mouth rose: Yes, I care. He liked the phrase.

There was no tirade, no high reasoning, not even mention of Ryan's condition, but the bubbling excitement and excitement were surging and boiling in Ryan's arms. Because at this moment, Lu Ke's words once again awakened Ryan's enthusiasm:

He's a fan, not a sick person, just a pure fan, a San Francisco 49ers fan.

Sure enough, Lu Ke then said, "Ryan, this is our season, we are on the right path, and we will continue to persevere and go all the way towards the ultimate goal, and look forward to reaching the end." I think so, but what about you? ”

Lu Ke's smile was so firm and so bright, "I hope that the nine people can accompany us all the way, I mean, every nine people, even the most insignificant one, I can't name each one at all." ”

A deep smile appeared in Ryan's eyes, "You mean, I'm an insignificant light?" ”

Lu Ke opened his mouth, "......"

The jaw-dropping expression made Ryan laugh heartily, and although the laughter seemed weak, as if he was trying to control his breathing disorder, the familiar Ryan returned.

Lu Ke smiled dumbly and shook his head slightly, "Don't you want to see us reach the top again?" ”

"You mean, this year? Or next year? Give me a deadline, otherwise if you say ten years to reach the top, then I guess it will be more difficult for me. Ryan started joking again, and his self-deprecating words made people laugh.

Lu Ke didn't answer directly, but said further, "If we enter the Super Bowl, are you willing to come to the scene to watch the game?" ”

Ryan quietly looked at Lu Ke, also refusing to budge, "Do you mean this year?" ”

This time, Lu Ke didn't answer, and the two of them quietly exchanged glances and refused to give in to each other, but in the end, it was Lu Ke who was defeated - how could he deal with the patient? He still doesn't remember villains, and expresses his tolerance, "I look forward to the day when you come to the scene." ”

Lu Ke left, he didn't stay in the hospital for too long, appeared quietly, and then left quietly.

Jonathan personally escorted Lu Ke out of the hospital, from the beginning to the end, he still felt that something was not real, Lu Ke actually appeared in the hospital like this.

Back in the ward, Ryan was still sitting on the edge of the bed, as if he heard movement, he took the initiative to ask, "Jonathan, is that you?" I'm getting a little numb in my muscles right now, can you please help me and get back into bed/sitting? Also, didn't you go in and get a notebook and a pencil? It's time for me to start today's rehab. ”

Jonathan stood in place, his nose souring suddenly, but he showed a big smile and nodded repeatedly, "Okay." Good. I'm here to help. ”

Note: That quote comes from a Linkin-Park song, "One-More-Light," hoping that the eternally sleepy Chester Bennington will find inner peace.