Chapter 291 - 179: Trouble
"The conclusion is that there’s just no way," Joe Buck said with a hearty laugh. "I really love this kid, Troy. Just admit it, a new era is dawning. The age of the NFL being dominated by Black and white players is over."
Joe Buck had a point.
Instead of dying down after his arrogant remarks at the press conference, the industry’s discussion surrounding Li Wei only intensified as the sample size of his games grew.
Some mainstream media outlets even launched dedicated daily tactical analysis columns, inviting various Hall of Fame defensive linebackers and tactical gurus to try and build a model within the existing NFL framework that could "contain" Li Wei.
Yes, contain.
No team was arrogant enough to use the word "stop" when talking about Li Wei anymore.
Some suggested an extreme all-out blitz, hoping to use superior numbers to bring Li Wei down the moment the ball was snapped.
But someone immediately refuted this with game tape: Li Wei’s release was incredibly fast, averaging only 1.7 seconds. When facing multiple defenders, his success rate at breaking the first tackle was 100%. An all-out blitz would not only fail to sack him but would also leave the backfield completely exposed.
And what made Li Wei so ridiculously good was that his goddamn passing accuracy was just uncanny.
(Li Wei: Thanks to "Set Trajectory" for the rocket.)
He could easily throw a 60-yard bomb right into his receiver’s hands, letting the Giants score a touchdown with a massive gain.
Since the all-out blitz was a non-starter, some genius proposed the opposite approach: adopt a soft shell coverage with a three-man rush and eight men dropping back, cutting off his passing lanes and forcing him into a mistake.
Someone else just scoffed and pointed out the flaw: once the defense drops back, Li Wei will just take off and run it himself.
His explosive burst, far beyond the league average, allowed him to treat the defensive line like a set of bowling pins.
As the tactical breakdown went deeper, the atmosphere in the studio gradually shifted from heated debate to an eerie silence.
Tactics are meant to compensate for physical shortcomings and create localized man-advantages. But in the face of Li Wei’s sheer physical dominance, all tactical schemes became nothing more than pointless theatrics.
Everyone had a long face, except for Joe Buck.
He was grinning from ear to ear.
Finally, at the end of a two-hour-long tactical debate show, a retired defensive legend and two-time Super Bowl MVP looked at the completely refuted defensive schemes on the whiteboard and let out a long sigh.
"Gentlemen, we have to face reality and abandon these pipe dreams," he said, tossing the marker onto the table and rubbing his face in despair. "We’re facing a monster, a monster who will dominate the NFL for years to come."
"He’s like a sharpshooter, but when you try to get in close, you find out he’s an archer who’s also a berserker," Troy added. "Then you decide to keep your distance, but he pulls a fully armored warhorse out of his pants and charges you, while you’re just a peasant with a wooden stick."
Just as the world was putting him under a microscope to find a weakness, in early October, Li Wei received a significant piece of good news off the field—his United States of America green card had been officially approved.
The application had been started several months prior, long before Li Wei had even gone pro. At the time, Don Quixote had estimated the process would take at least two years.
Given the operational efficiency of the United States of America’s immigration authorities, even with Li Wei using the EB-1A (Alien of Extraordinary Ability) track, the process from submitting the I-140 form, through the background check, to the final adjustment of status (I-485), was not something that could be completed in under two years.
Neither Li Wei nor Don Quixote had deliberately tried to speed up the process, so when Li Wei went to the federal building in Lower Manhattan to finalize the paperwork, he casually asked why it had been approved so quickly.
The senior white immigration officer handling his case met with him personally. After confirming they were alone in the office, he explained with a smile:
"Legally speaking, and based on the strict criteria of the application materials, Mr. Li Wei, your file is impeccable. Getting a green card was always fully compliant; it was only a matter of when, not if. But I did personally put in a good word for you to speed up the process a little."
The pot-bellied official handed the documents, stamped with the official seal, to Li Wei and shrugged. "What can I say? My whole family are huge fans. I’m a fan of your skill, while my wife and daughter... well, they became avid fans because of your looks. To be honest with you, your poster is still on my daughter’s bedroom door."
"Well... thank you for your support," Li Wei said with a smile, shaking the official’s hand. "If I went to the Washington Commanders or the Seattle Seahawks, I hope that wouldn’t cause a family feud, would it?"
"Oh," the official immediately raised his hands in surrender, a look of mock horror on his face. "Then my family would be truly torn apart."
The two of them burst out laughing.
"So really, thank you, man," Li Wei said. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Absolutely nothing involving money or breaking the rules," the official said, rubbing his hands together as he made a small request. "But I do have one small favor to ask. My daughter got into New York University last year, and this week is their sorority’s rush week. If it’s not too much trouble, could you take a few seconds to record a short shout-out video for her and her sorority? It would be the best gift ever..."
Li Wei didn’t hesitate. "Of course," he said with a smile. "Let’s exchange contact info, and I’ll send you the video later."
After leaving the federal building, Li Wei recorded a short video in his car as promised and sent it to the immigration official.
’New York University?’
Li Wei thought for a moment. ’The only person I know from NYU is that chubby kid, Gao Ping.’ (Chapter 174)
With the green card situation settled, October officially began.
In addition to his NFL games, Li Wei’s life on campus was also falling into place.
He was thankful Yale University didn’t have a huge football culture. With his current popularity, if he had gone to a school with a fanatical football following like Alabama State, he probably wouldn’t even be able to leave his room.
But as October began, a few ripples disturbed the calm of his life.
First, Anya had suddenly taken a few days off for another trip.
It wasn’t that there was a problem with their relationship—quite the opposite. Anya had become more and more infatuated with Li Wei recently. She’d even deliriously told him to take it off in the heat of the moment, saying she wanted to have his baby.
Before she left, she was so reluctant to leave New York that she hugged Li Wei and had a good cry.
Rather, it was because the fashion world across the Atlantic Ocean was welcoming its annual grand event—Paris Womenswear Fashion Week had officially begun.
"My best friend in Europe is dying for me to go," she said with great reluctance. "I haven’t seen her in so long, so I really have no choice this time. We’re meeting up in Paris, and I’ll probably be there for at least a week!"
"You be a good boy in New Haven, go to class, and prepare for this weekend’s game. And remember to video call me every day and tell me you’ll love me forever, understand?" she said. "Also, no fooling around while I’m gone, you hear me? I’ll have Liz keep an eye on you for me."
However, Liz—Elizabeth Mellon—the one in whom she had placed such high hopes, had recently run into trouble of her own.
During a group discussion in a seminar on "Institutional Investing and the Yale Model," Li Wei sensed something was off with Elizabeth.
As a member of the Mellon Family, she had always shown a strong aggressive streak and intense focus in past financial model simulations and data analysis.
But today, she was completely silent, and the pen in her hand was just unconsciously scribbling messy lines on her paper. She seemed totally out of it.
When the bell rang, and after the other group members had left, Li Wei closed his laptop and looked at Elizabeth sitting next to him.
"You seem a little off," Li Wei said, looking at the slightly haggard glint in Elizabeth’s eyes. "In the leveraged buyout case study just now, you missed at least three tax risk points. What’s wrong?"
However, Elizabeth was clearly in a very bad mood today.
She glanced at Li Wei, huffed, and said sarcastically, "Oh, wow. Aren’t you the expert."
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized she had misspoken and immediately apologized.
"It’s fine," Li Wei said, waving it off. "So what’s the problem? You’ve been like a volcano about to erupt all day."
Elizabeth stopped what she was doing, took a deep breath, and organized the materials on her desk.
"Come with me," she said. "Let’s talk somewhere else."
Li Wei didn’t ask questions. He put his materials in his bag and followed her.
Autumn felt more pronounced in New Haven than in New York.
Golden leaves blanketed the flagstone paths of the old campus, crunching underfoot.
The two of them walked across campus to Elizabeth’s residential college.
Unlike the somewhat messy dorms of ordinary freshmen, Elizabeth’s room retained Yale’s traditional dark oak paneling and a vintage fireplace.
An expensive cashmere blanket was casually draped over the sofa, and an exquisite family photo frame sat on the desk. Without violating any school rules, the room perfectly showcased her unique, understated elegance and heritage.
As soon as she entered, Elizabeth tossed her heavy backpack on the floor and collapsed dejectedly onto the sofa, burying all ten fingers deep in her hair.
"I really don’t understand why. I’m impeccable in every way, but—"
Her voice was filled with unconcealable frustration. "I didn’t receive an invitation from the Skull and Bones Society. Which means I wasn’t selected. I’m not one of the fifteen best in this year’s class."