Dominate the Super Bowl

Chapter 182 181 Small Town Stories

Kansas City, at first hearing, people often think that this city is located in Kansas, but that's not the case.

This small city is located at the border of Kansas and Missouri and falls under the jurisdiction of Missouri.

Like Tuscaloosa, it is a typical Midwestern city, with only Tennessee separating Missouri and Alabama — quiet, vast, remote, devoid of the hustle and bustle of the East and West coasts, primarily focused on agriculture and industry, and the entire city has only six hundred and fifty thousand people.

It's a very, very small city, more a town than a city really.

In terms of sports, Kansas City can't compete with top-tier metropolitan cities like New York and Los Angeles, nor can it compare with small sports-centric cities with rich histories and legends like Green Bay; in fact, even within Missouri, Kansas City isn't the first choice for professional teams—

All the professional leagues like NHL, MLB, MLS have chosen St. Louis for their teams, including the NFL's St. Louis Rams, which relocated from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995, and then moved back to Los Angeles in 2015, now known as the Los Angeles Rams.

The reason is clear, for the larger market in Los Angeles.

That's why the Chieftain, founded in Dallas in 1959 and moved to Kansas City in 1963, never leaving again, is all the more precious.

Since the subprime mortgage crisis erupted in 2008, Kansas City's economic industry has been severely hit, the city slowly sinking into quicksand, with a high unemployment rate, the Kansas City Chiefs became the only faith of the local residents, guiding them towards the light out of the darkness.

Indeed, there are only six hundred and fifty thousand permanent residents in the city, but every time there is a home game for the Chiefs, the entire city empties into festive mode, like Tuscaloosa, with genuine and earnest people becoming the backbone of the team with their enthusiasm and passion.

Tranquility.

This was Li Wei's first impression as he arrived in Kansas City.

Driving from Tuscaloosa to Kansas City, although Li Wei might have chosen to fly, the road trip had its own charm, dividing the true ten-hour journey into three days, taking in the sights along the way, saying goodbye to his college life, and starting a new chapter.

Low bungalows, wide-open vistas, wheat and corn infinitely stretching beside the road, the water-blue sky hanging low overhead, clouds like tufts of cotton candy seemingly within reach, and the golden sunlight sketching out a vibrant, colorful watercolor.

Then—

Uh.

Sputter, sputter, sputter, the engine protested, and Li Wei quickly pulled over. Before he could even turn off the ignition, a destructive bursting sound came from under the hood, but just when Li Wei was worried about what might happen next, the noise under the hood quieted down.

Absolute silence.

He got out to check, only to find the hood was extremely hot, clearly, something was wrong.

He was seriously considering whether he should remind the greasy-haired man, "Hey, the person involved is right here, why not turn around and have a face-to-face conversation?"

But he decided against it, only to be interrupted.

"...so, did you ever love me?"

A piercing shout drew the entire bar's attention.

A man in a floral shirt was getting ready to leave, but a black-haired girl at the opposite booth stopped him, her face full of sadness, her voice heartbreakingly earnest as she focused unblinkingly on the back of the floral shirt man, trying her best to control herself, yet tears still swirled uncontrollably in her eyes.

"For three years, you never once said you loved me, so, do you love that woman? Have you ever told her 'I love you'?"

The floral shirt man finally turned back, facing the black-haired girl again.

Then, he strode forward, stopping right in front of the black-haired girl.

"I have loved."

"I loved the girl who dreamed of becoming a baker, loved the girl who visited every bakery in Kansas City to create the best cakes, loved the girl who smelled of flour and cream, but my love stops there..."

Slap.

A cup of water was splashed over the floral shirt, abruptly interrupting his heartfelt words.

Another blond girl sitting in the corner booth stepped up, protecting the black-haired girl behind her, her face cold as she looked at the man in the floral shirt.

"Bullshit."

"For three whole years, you did nothing but live off Jenny, using everything of Jenny's. Jenny scrimped and saved to start her own bakery, working day and night, while you were out spending Jenny's credit card on lavish parties and even using Jenny's money for motel rooms to meet other women."

"Ha, 'once loved', I think it's your love for Jenny's savings that has ended."

A direct hit.

The floral shirt clenched his fist in anger, too enraged to care for sweet talk, tearing off his mask, ready to throw a punch, on the verge of exploding—

Danger!