Chapter 108: Chapter 84: Tying the Record, Shocking Yale

"Then you can just go through the regular NCAA process to get into Yale. Entering the NFL draft after three years would be the same outcome," Tony said with a wave of his hand. "Either way, as long as you pass my tryout, I’ll convince the admissions committee to send you an early acceptance letter."

"But I’m hoping you’ll give me a surprise," he said. "After all, Yale’s financial aid can go as high as 90,000 USD a year."

Ninety thousand USD a year, which was 360,000 over four years.

"Alright, let’s do it," Li Wei said immediately. "What else do you want to test?"

Coach Tony looked at the clipboard in his hand. "Let’s try the 40-yard dash and the vertical jump. I’ve seen your game tapes, so I know your strength level. No need to waste time testing that, and it’s not a priority for a Quarterback anyway."

Li Wei looked at his stats: [Agility: 2.1], [Free Attribute Points: 0.6].

To ensure he would pass the test, and to avoid another trip in March and losing out on 360,000 USD in aid, he thought for a moment and put 0.3 attribute points into Agility.

[Agility 2.1] -> [Agility 2.4]

Watching Coach Tony walk to the finish line of the 40-yard dash to set up the timer, Li Wei felt a cool sensation at the back of his neck. The feeling immediately shot down his spine and spread through all the motor neurons in his body.

"The timers at the start and finish lines are all set," Tony shouted through a megaphone. "You can start whenever you’re ready!"

BANG!

Li Wei’s start was a whole lot faster than other athletes’. The increase in agility wasn’t just a simple boost to his muscles; it was more an enhancement of his motor neurons. The time it took for his brain’s commands to reach his muscles shortened dramatically.

Li Wei shot forward like an ignited rocket. He felt the air grow thick, the wind resisting him like water. It was the first time he had ever felt wind create so much drag.

When Li Wei burst through the laser timing gate, the numbers on the electronic display instantly froze.

4.22 seconds. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Coach Tony’s hand trembled, and the manual stopwatch almost fell to the ground. He stared intently at the electronic screen.

The record at the NFL Scouting Combine was 4.21 seconds.

This young man before him, in street clothes and without the benefit of professional running shoes, had just posted a time that would shock the entire football world. He had come just shy of tying the all-time record!

’Maybe he has a chance to break the NFL record?’ A thought suddenly popped into Coach Tony’s mind. ’He’s only seventeen and hasn’t had any systematic training yet. He could absolutely make history. And if a student like that came from Yale, coached by me...’

A smile suddenly touched his lips.

Next was the standing vertical jump.

Li Wei stood next to the measuring device, did a simple squat, swung his arms, and leaped.

In that instant, it was as if Head Coach Tony were watching Li Wei defy the law of gravity.

He jumped so high that his fingertips easily cleared the top of the measuring device. Even as he came down, his incredible core strength made his landing seem effortlessly light.

inches.

His standing vertical jump had tied the NFL combine record from the last forty years.

"Oh my God..." Head Coach Tony groaned. "The passing of a top-tier Quarterback, the speed of the best cornerback in history, the strength of the best offensive tackle in history... Li Wei, are you even human?"

"Maybe I’m just a little gifted," Li Wei shrugged. "After all, the Celestial Dynasty has 1.4 billion people, and football isn’t popular there at all."

"Looks like I’ll have to persuade John Mara and the NFL to invest more in Asia," he said, packing up the equipment. "Go home and wait for the news, kid. I know Harvard sent you an invitation too—you don’t even need to bother. Your acceptance letter will be in your hands before Christmas. But before that, you’ll need to choose your major. We’ll also take care of the tuition waiver and the maximum annual financial aid."

"That’s it? It’s over?" Li Wei said in surprise. "I already told my academic dean I was going to register for several more AP exams... I paid a 50 USD registration fee for each one!"

"You’re getting 90,000 USD a year in aid, and you’re worried about a few hundred dollars in registration fees?" Head Coach Tony snorted. "If you really want to, you can go ahead and boost your scores before applying. The result will be the same either way."

Li Wei hadn’t expected that the month he’d spent preparing for his AP courses would end up being useless. He decided he would ask his academic dean if he could get a refund.

After leaving the training field, Li Wei waited for a moment before Anya walked out through the doors, her head lowered.

Her beautiful, jet-black hair looked a little dull in the sunlight.

The moment she looked up and saw Li Wei, the frustration she had been forcefully suppressing burst forth.

"Let’s go," Li Wei said, sensing Anya’s mood. "I’m starving. I’m going to get something to eat. You coming?"

Anya was actually too upset to eat, but she still nodded at Li Wei’s invitation.

In the movie based on Anya’s life, a dramatic twist had just occurred. It seemed she had messed up and wouldn’t be able to secure an early admission offer from Yale University.

"How about we get some ice cream, then?" Li Wei took her hand. "After all, there are still a lot of flavors on the menu we haven’t tried."

At this point, Anya didn’t care what she ate.

She didn’t want to say a single word. She just wanted Li Wei to keep holding her hand, to jump with her from the edge of a cliff, and float freely on a moonlit sea.

When they got in the car, Li Wei let go of Anya’s hand.

For a split second, the moment he let go, Anya immediately wondered if she had done something wrong.

She couldn’t read his heart, and it was driving her mad.

In the end, though, they didn’t get ice cream. Anya’s stomach was starting to churn, and she felt that today was not a good day for ice cream, especially in New York in November.

They arrived at a high-end restaurant on 60th Street in New York called the Giraffe Restaurant.

"I’ll have the dry-aged ribeye, medium," Li Wei said, not minding the expense for Anya. "What would you like?"

"I’ll have the same," Anya’s voice sounded listless. "And a milkshake, and a sirloin, medium."

She really did need a massive amount of sugar and calories to fill the void named ’frustration’.

When two sizzling, fragrant steaks were brought to the table, the atmosphere in the restaurant eased a little.

"Li Wei," she said, suddenly putting down her knife and fork. Her head was bowed, and her voice was muffled. "I think... my early application probably failed."

Li Wei paused but didn’t look up, just responding calmly, "Hm?"

"I wasn’t ready," she sighed. "I should have expected it... I haven’t even held my art exhibition yet. I was supposed to apply through the regular process in March, but failing this early application still really upsets me."

Li Wei suddenly thought of how badly Head Coach Tony wanted him. He wondered if that desire, combined with the coach’s influence on the admissions committee, would be enough to override a negative evaluation from one interviewer.

He filed that thought away and didn’t plan on telling Anya about it yet. In his view, unfulfilled promises were just useless junk.

"Eat more meat." Li Wei forked a piece of steak he had cut from his own plate onto Anya’s. "Worst case, we just start over."

Anya froze for a moment, then glared at him, a little annoyed.

But she obediently popped the piece of meat into her mouth, and then, as if venting, began to devour the steaks on the table.

It wasn’t until two empty plates and an empty milkshake glass sat in front of her that she realized she might have eaten a bit too much.

...

That night, the pitch-black Cadillac Escalade ESV drove steadily along the road to Riverdale.

A subtle quiet filled the car, with only the Escalade’s top-of-the-line AKG sound system softly echoing with smooth jazz. Anya leaned back in the spacious leather seat, watching the night view of the Hudson River outside the window. Her mood was much better than it had been at the restaurant.

"We’re here."

Li Wei brought the car to a steady stop and turned his head to look at Anya.

The glow of a streetlight spilled through the window onto Li Wei’s handsome, chiseled face. Anya stared at him, dazed.

’The atmosphere is perfect,’ she thought.

She turned slightly and unbuckled her seatbelt, her eyes full of tenderness. Her delicate face slowly drew closer to Li Wei’s.

’She’d rehearsed this in her mind ten thousand times. This was the part of the play that called for a perfect kiss to wrap things up.’

However, just as her lips were less than two inches from Li Wei’s, something unexpected happened.