Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 978 - 977 Working Together for a Win-Win

Emotions surging, blood boiling.

Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, Veach could see the faces of Annie, Felix, and those at the Old Oak Tavern flashing by like a carousel.

Yet, as the passion burned to its peak, Veach ultimately regained control, pulling his steps back to the ground, barely finding his balance again.

"Dreams are always perfect; reality is always cruel…"

Veach’s words weren’t finished before Li Wei interrupted with laughter.

Veach glanced at Li Wei, who quickly stifled his laugh, gesturing for Veach to continue.

Veach looked slightly helpless, "I know, being the one to burst the bubble of fantasy always makes you the villain, but someone has to do it."

"Once upon a time, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Shaq-Kobe duo was perfect, Big Manning once saved Indianapolis’s dire economy."

"Once upon a time, Kurt Warner led the St. Louis Rams to create the greatest Cinderella story in history, and David Beckham and Manchester United seemed like the perfect pair."

"Time and again, dreams crumble in the face of the harsh reality of professional sports—that’s the bittersweet truth of competitive athletics."

Li Wei didn’t interrupt Veach, instead patiently listening, quietly attentive until Veach finished speaking.

"I know." Li Wei said.

Calm, candid, and sincere.

Li Wei flashed a smile, "That’s why I said, it’s a dream."

"Sir, maybe ten years from now—no, maybe five years—everything will have changed. Not just me, but you and Coach Reed might no longer be in Kansas City. We all hope life will end with the perfect fairy tale and freeze that moment forever."

"But sadly, life doesn’t work that way."

"Still, we also can’t declare that five years or ten years from now, everything will definitely change, and we’ll be scattered across different corners of the league."

Veach looked at Li Wei, full of frustration, "Are you cursing me now?"

Li Wei spread his hands, "The future? No one can predict it, can they?"

Veach shook his head, "You’re playing with fire."

Li Wei burst out laughing heartily, "No, I’m painting a dream and inviting you to embark on this unknown adventure together, to write the future ourselves, and decide the ending of the dream."

Veach, "What if we fail?"

Li Wei, "At least we tried. But if we don’t try, success will remain impossible forever."

Words full of subtext.

Clearly, what Li Wei painted wasn’t just a blueprint; it was a blueprint for a Kansas City Chiefs team with him in it.

This was the real focus.

Li Wei was expressing his intentions in his own way—he wanted to be part of the Kansas City Chiefs. Now, the ball was in Veach’s court to show sincerity and resolve.

Everything was going as Coach Reed expected. Li Wei was a smart guy; he knew his leverage and how to negotiate.

To be precise, Veach wasn’t taken aback, as this wasn’t his first dealing with Li Wei either.

From start to finish, Li Wei never directly mentioned salary numbers or contract term lengths, yet he added weight to his presence through his words.

The pressure was now entirely on Veach.

Veach studied Li Wei carefully, "Has anyone ever told you that you’d make an excellent agent?"

Li Wei’s grin flickered in his eyes, "That would be perfect. Even if I retire early, I wouldn’t need to worry about life afterward."

Veach, "Already thinking about retirement? I thought you just said we need to look farther ahead."

Li Wei replied meaningfully, "That depends on the team."

Round and round, Li Wei once again pushed the bargaining moment back into Veach’s hands.

In this game of Tai Chi Bagua Push Hands, Li Wei ultimately came out on top.

Li Wei, "Sir, anything else? Today’s first-day training camp meeting—I don’t want to be late for too long; those guys are practically itching to slap a prima donna label on me."

Veach chuckled, "What’s Travis and the crew scheming now?"

Li Wei, "A pizza party."

Veach burst into laughter, "Haha!"

Li Wei looked serious, "With over 80 people in camp, they could eat through my entire monthly allowance. I mean it! Sir, don’t forget, I’m just a third-year player; I don’t have that big of a paycheck."

Veach couldn’t hold back anymore, wiping his tears, "God, it seems we must move things along. The captain’s resentment is taking shape."

Double entendre—

Not just today’s meeting that needed to wrap up quickly, but the contract negotiations as well.

Veach didn’t hold Li Wei back any further. After a few quips, he motioned for Li Wei to return to the locker room.

Standing still, watching Li Wei walk away, Veach organized his thoughts but unexpectedly saw:

Mahomes and Kelsey waiting at the locker room entrance. After getting Li Wei’s "All good" hand signal, they chuckled and turned away, disappearing with Li Wei around the hallway corner.

Taking a deep breath, Veach realized he might need to accelerate the progress.

That day, after all the training had ended, Li Wei called Donald Yee to explain the situation.

Donald Yee wasn’t surprised by Veach’s move.

The renewal talks remained in the initial probing stage. Both Donald and Veach were feeling out the terms of a suitable contract—

For both sides, it was the same.

First, there was Bell’s holdout and strike, with the Pittsburgh Steelers gaining unanimous support from league teams.

Then came Gurley’s four-year, $60 million contract with the Los Angeles Rams, setting a record for running back salaries at $15 million annually.

The running back’s predicament was plain to see.

In other words, if they were discussing a top-tier franchise quarterback contract, there would be no issue; everyone knew the standard limits and direction. But when discussing a top-tier running back franchise contract, given the league’s climate, things became tricky.

Both sides needed to explore.

So, under such circumstances, Veach personally probing Li Wei’s attitude made perfect sense.

Since Li Wei had done an excellent job, Donald could seize the advantage in negotiations and was willing to push the contract to its limits.

"But patience is key."

Donald said.

After all, they were making history. Wanting mutual success for both sides meant proceeding cautiously.

Patience happened to be something Li Wei had plenty of.

Li Wei acknowledged candidly that he didn’t expect to complete the renewal before his third-year season began. Even if it meant waiting another year and renewing during the offseason next year, he was okay with it.

Because Li Wei believed he could continue to perform excellently in the coming season, postponing the renewal would only increase his leverage.

That’s the kind of confidence he had.

Confidence born of training.

Honestly, Li Wei couldn’t wait for the spring training camp because he was ready to test and examine the fruits of this offseason’s hard work—

The Barry Sanders training template, after all, lived up to its reputation.

Li Wei had never contemplated skipping training camp, not just spring camp, but summer camp as well.

This offseason, joining the Kansas City Chiefs, the rookies better be ready.

The "Training Demon King" was back in full swing.