Chapter 385 - 247: Vacation Plans, Departure
Before he could finish, the phone in his pocket began to ring insistently.
Li Wei sighed helplessly, letting his uncle off the hook for the moment as he took out his phone and answered.
"Good morning, Boss! I’m just pulling up to your place now," Jin Heon’s energetic voice came through the phone, tinged with the faint echo of a hallway. "There are a few urgent documents regarding the beverage production that need your signature before the holidays."
Li Wei walked over and opened the door.
Jin Heon walked in, her hair dyed a striking orange and a thick, beige overcoat wrapped around her.
The tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold, but her eyes were exceptionally bright.
As she pulled off her gloves, she took a thick stack of documents from her briefcase and expertly spread them out on the island counter.
"Merry Christmas, Boss! It’s all good news today!"
Unable to hide the excitement in her voice, she reported at a rapid pace, "The FDA dietary supplement filing was fast-tracked and approved, and the clinical test report from the Specialized Surgical Hospital (HSS) has been issued. It shows no prohibited substances or toxicological reactions."
Li Wei walked over and found a pen. He listened to her report while quickly scanning the key clauses in the documents.
"And the contract manufacturer?" he asked casually, grabbing a bottle of water for Jin Heon.
"It’s all taken care of!" Jin Heon handed him another document. "The Coca-Cola contract manufacturing plant in New Jersey has been very cooperative. They’ve freed up two sterile production lines for us, but we can’t start until after Christmas."
"There’s one more thing to mention," Jin Heon said, opening another report and pointing to a progress bar. "The flavor issue you brought up before, Boss, is still being finalized."
Li Wei nodded. While the unflavored dilution had excellent restorative effects, if it was going to be launched as a commercial sports drink for the mass market, it couldn’t taste like plain water or watered-down Gatorade.
"I’ve already delegated the flavor R&D to Coca-Cola’s labs," Li Wei said, signing his name and handing the documents back to her. "They have flavorists. What’s the word from them?"
"They’ve prepared a few flavor profiles for us to choose from," Jin Heon said as she collected the documents, swiftly tucking them back into her briefcase. "But the entire United States of America is on Christmas break right now, and that includes Coca-Cola’s R&D team. So the actual blind taste tests and trial production runs will have to wait until everyone gets back from the holidays."
Li Wei pondered for a moment.
"Will we make the deadline?" he asked.
The Super Bowl was in February, and his brand was going to have a full 90 seconds of airtime. If they couldn’t get the product manufactured and on the market by then, it would be a huge waste of resources.
"I’ve run the numbers. It’ll be tight, but it’s completely doable," Jin Heon said, her eyes curving into crescents as she smiled. "We’ll do multiple rounds of internal testing in January, and after we finalize the flavor for mass production in February, we can produce 100,000 bottles and list them on our independent online store before the Super Bowl. Then we’ll contract a courier service to handle the shipping."
Li Wei nodded in satisfaction.
’Jin Heon is so dedicated and capable,’ he thought. ’You don’t even have to push her. Her work ethic and output are equivalent to at least three people.’
"By the way, what about the car?" Li Wei suddenly asked. "How’s it driving?"
"It’s... pretty good," Jin Heon said quietly.
"Just ’pretty good’?" Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "You haven’t driven it back home to show off to the neighbors?"
"N-no, I haven’t," Jin Heon said, shaking her head. "I haven’t even graduated yet. If I drove that home, I can’t imagine what the neighbors would say. I’ve been dealing with their gossip my whole life; it never stops."
She paused, then, as if worried Li Wei thought she wasn’t taking proper care of the car, she immediately puffed out her chest and declared, "But don’t you worry, Boss! You mentioned the battery can die easily and that there’s a minimum weekly mileage requirement, right? On days I don’t go out, I make sure to drive it around the neighborhood a few extra times at night. I’m definitely meeting the mileage!"
"Alright, keep it up," Li Wei said, holding back a laugh. "Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, and goodbye, Boss."
Jin Heon skipped out the door.
After closing the door, Li Wei turned his head. "Wait, what? Why is my health bar so low?"
"You were probably bleeding out," Don Quixote said. "Cut the chatter and unpause. I’m definitely going to win this time."
"Just admit you’re getting old," Li Wei said, sitting down cross-legged as well. "I’ve already beaten you over thirty times..."
He unpaused the game, and the two of them were once again locked in a chaotic battle.
"By the way," Li Wei asked, "where’s Hai Sheng?"
The words had barely left his mouth when Don Quixote calmly pulled out the remote and switched off the TV.
Then, with extreme nonchalance, he tossed his controller onto the coffee table. "Oh? You’re asking about Hai Sheng? Let me check the message he sent me this morning..."
Li Wei stared at the dark screen, his mouth twitching. He had a look on his face that said, ’I knew it.’
Speechless, he shook his head and tossed his own controller onto the table.
"Let me see... Ah, right," Don Quixote said, looking at his phone. "He’s taking his childhood sweetheart out and about in New York today."
"So he has the whole day off?"
"Of course. Everyone needs a vacation," Don Quixote said, getting up and stretching luxuriously. A series of pops and cracks echoed from his joints. "It’s not just him. After you leave this afternoon, I’m planning on taking Lily to Orlando."
"Going to Florida to escape the cold?" Li Wei asked, also getting to his feet.
"We’re going to Disney World to see Mickey Mouse," Don Quixote shrugged. "Lily’s been begging to go for ages, and staying in New York to watch this goddamn blizzard isn’t a smart move. I’ve already booked the flights and hotel. We fly out this afternoon."
Around noon, since the apartment’s culinary staff was also on holiday and everyone had their own plans for the afternoon, Li Wei, Don Quixote, and Lily just ordered some pizza and pasta for a simple lunch.
Just as he stuffed the last piece of pizza into his mouth, Li Wei’s phone vibrated for the third time.
Elizabeth Mellon’s name flashed on the screen.
Li Wei pulled out a napkin to wipe his hands and answered the call.
"Li Wei, are you ready?" Elizabeth’s voice came through, trembling slightly.
"Are we leaving early because of the no-fly order? Of course. My bags are packed," Li Wei said. "How about you?"
"I’m not ready. I’m scared to death," Elizabeth sighed. "It’s fine as long as you are. Get to the East 34th Street Heliport before 2 PM and find the parking spot marked with an ’M’. I’ll be waiting for you there. We’re taking a Sikorsky S-92."
"Relax. It’s just a family dinner, after all," Li Wei said. "He’s your grandfather, not your mortal enemy."
The line went silent for two seconds, followed by a light, slightly more relaxed laugh. "You’re right. See you this afternoon."
「1:45 PM, Manhattan’s East 34th Street Heliport.」
The cold wind on the East River cut across the tarmac like a knife.
Leaden clouds hung low in the sky. Fine snowflakes, whipped up by the gale, stung any exposed skin on their faces.
Elizabeth stood at the boarding gate.
She had changed into a navy blue cashmere coat, and her hair was pinned up, giving her a polished, sharp, and altogether formidable look.
Guided by the crew, the two of them ducked into the helicopter.
Unlike the helicopters Li Wei usually chartered, this one was known as the "Rolls-Royce of civilian helicopters," and its interior was astonishingly spacious.
"Please be seated, Miss Elizabeth Mellon, Mr. Li Wei. We need to get out of here before the airspace is completely locked down," the captain’s steady voice announced from the cockpit.
Li Wei turned his head sideways and looked down through the porthole window.
From this altitude, the normally dazzling and vibrant island of Manhattan now looked unusually bleak. Leaden clouds practically scraped the spire of the Empire State Building, and the surface of the East River churned with murky waves.
As the helicopter continued to climb, the skyscrapers in their view were gradually swallowed by the swirling white blizzard, until the entire world seemed to dissolve into a chaos of wind and snow.
The helicopter leveled out above the clouds, adjusting its course. It sliced through the endless snowstorm, heading for the eastern end of Long Island.