Some of the messages he received from Anya, Elizabeth, and a few other girls were about this photo.

Anya had even set the photo as her phone’s wallpaper.

As for Reddit, Yahoo Sports, and the sports sections of TikTok, the tone was completely different.

A well-known ESPN commentator posted a lengthy tweet: "I need to see him in the NFL. Now. Immediately. Instantly. I can’t stand watching him play in the NCAA anymore. It’s a waste of his talent, and it’s unfair to the other players. This kid is rewriting history over and over again. He’s going to walk up to the records set by the old guard, shatter them all without a second thought, and carve his own name in their place. He is beginning to forge his own legend."

When Li Wei walked into the cafeteria again, he could clearly feel that the way people looked at him had changed.

The hotheads from the East team, and even players who held some racial prejudice, now lowered their heads and pretended to be on their phones whenever he looked their way.

On Wednesday, the training drills continued.

The 40-yard dash is the most direct measure of a football player’s explosiveness and speed, and it’s the gold standard for determining their market value.

After he broke two records yesterday, everyone was eagerly waiting to see what other miracles Li Wei could perform.

"Next up, from New York, Li Wei."

At the staff member’s call, the scouts, who had been busy scribbling notes or whispering amongst themselves, all looked up. An array of cameras instantly swiveled to focus on the starting line.

Li Wei, dressed in the form-fitting training gear provided by Adidas, had muscles that looked sleek and explosive under the spotlights. He did a quick ankle roll and calmly stepped up to the starting line.

"Ready... Go!"

The instant the starting gun fired, Li Wei launched forward like a cannonball.

There was no wasted motion in his start. His drive off the line in the first ten yards was so immense you could see the rubber pellets on the artificial turf flying.

The wind howled in his ears, and the scenery on either side of him became a blur.

He crossed the line.

He wasn’t even breathing heavily. After crossing the finish line, Li Wei simply decelerated naturally, jogging a few steps before coming to a stop.

The venue fell silent for a split second, followed by a wave of incredulous gasps.

A red number flashed onto the large electronic scoreboard.

[4.29s]

"A new record!" someone shouted. "4.29 seconds! It’s official! Li Wei has broken another all-time NFL record!"

’That’s three NFL records broken,’ Li Wei thought. ’The MVP for these drills should be in the bag.’

’John Mara and NFL Commissioner Roger should both be satisfied now.’

In the drills on Thursday and Friday, Li Wei reined in his performance a bit. He still performed at a level that surpassed the average NFL player, just not enough to break any more records.

But that was more than enough.

Unbeknownst to Li Wei, the online searches and buzz surrounding him were constantly climbing.

The All-American All-Star Bowl typically drew an online audience of about 2 to 2.4 million viewers. However, thanks to Li Wei going viral and shattering one record after another, the hype continued to build. Now, the projected online viewership for the game was approaching 3 million.

Meanwhile, ticket reservations for the physical event at the Alamo Dome Arena had been soaring since Tuesday. The All-American All-Star Bowl, which typically averaged just over 40,000 attendees, had already surpassed 56,000 reservations by the time the booking window closed on Friday afternoon.

To be clear, while this was the most prestigious competition for the nation’s top 100 high school players, it was still just a high school event. An average attendance of 40,000 paled in comparison to that of popular NCAA teams, let alone any regular-season NFL game. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

But now, with the boost from Li Wei’s star power, it was attracting online viewers from Asia, Asian-Americans, and female fans. He had single-handedly generated a 20% increase in viewership out of thin air, bringing an unprecedented level of attention and support to tomorrow’s high school game.

Now, all eyes were on Li Wei, waiting for his game tomorrow.