Chapter 283 - 176: Base Completed, Strength Test
Chen Haisheng was still a bit lost, not quite understanding what Li Wei meant.
Although he was born and raised in New York and had knocked around its underbelly for many years, he knew these three tickets could fetch a high price on the secondary market. But he paid almost no attention to football, nor did he understand what Li Wei meant by, "Give this to Chairman Lin. He’ll understand."
But while Chen Haisheng wasn’t one for scheming, he was by no means oblivious.
He glanced at Don Quixote, who was still beside him with his eyes closed, muttering something about "Royal Knight" and "the King’s reward," and knew that his employers’ situation was a bit peculiar.
"Mr. Li, I’ll be heading back now. You and Mr. Don Quixote should get some rest."
Chen Haisheng didn’t ask a single question. He gave a respectful bow, then quickly walked out of the garage, got into his used Ford, and floored it straight for Chinatown.
...
The lights were still on upstairs at the Fujian Business Association’s headquarters.
Lin Daohang sat behind a large mahogany desk, his brow furrowed, a nearly-extinguished cigarette pinched between his fingers.
Uncle Rong sat across from him, scribbling in a ledger with a pen.
"The personnel changes at the NYPD were too sudden," Uncle Rong sighed, putting down his pen. "That Chinese police captain we had a good relationship with, the one we could always get ahold of, was transferred laterally this afternoon without any warning. He’s been sent to a precinct on the edge of Queens. The guy replacing him in our district is an old white man named McLean, and he’s a Republican."
"Have you looked into his background?" Lin Daohang took a sharp drag from his cigarette, then tried to stub it out in an ashtray already overflowing with a mountain of butts.
"We have. He’s a typical, old-school Irish-American," Uncle Rong said, shaking his head. "We haven’t gotten a read on his appetite yet. Should we try sending over some gold bars?"
Lin Daohang shook his head. "We don’t know what the situation is within the NYPD yet. If we make a rash move, we might spook him. It’ll be a real problem if he uses it to bite back."
Just as the two of them were at a loss, a knock came at the office door.
"Come in," Lin Daohang said in a low voice, schooling his worried expression.
Chen Haisheng pushed the door open and entered. He paused for a second before greeting them. "Uncle Lin, Uncle Rong. Still up?"
"Just discussing a few things." Lin Daohang’s expression softened slightly. "Hai Sheng, you’re back late. Did Mr. Li need anything?"
"Oh, Mr. Li saw me looking after his car all evening and gave me a few tickets as a thank-you," Chen Haisheng said, placing an envelope on Lin Daohang’s desk. "He said these tickets could sell for tens of thousands of USD on the secondary market. He told me to bring them back to you and said you could bring one more person to the game this weekend."
Lin Daohang picked up the envelope suspiciously. When he opened it, three gilt-edged tickets, printed with the logos of MetLife Stadium and the New York Giants, slid out.
"VIP family section?" Lin Daohang paused, and a smile suddenly spread across his face. "This is perfect, Uncle Rong! Hai Sheng, you’ve done well!"
"You said he’s Irish-American, and an old-school white guy, right?" he said, excitedly waving the tickets. "There’s no way he doesn’t watch the NFL. And if he’s a fan, he absolutely won’t be able to refuse VIP family section tickets from the New York Giants’ hottest superstar!"
He grew more excited as he spoke, finally slapping the tickets down on the desk.
Only then did Chen Haisheng understand why Li Wei had told him to give the tickets to Lin Daohang. He had known they would be far more effective in the Chairman’s hands.
After exchanging a few more words, Chen Haisheng bid farewell to Uncle Lin and Uncle Rong. He planned to go home, get in some training, and then go to sleep.
But as he recalled the way Lin Daohang’s frown had vanished, he suddenly began to doubt his dream of sticking with boxing to become the next Bruce Lee. He felt a pang of uncertainty.
...
The next day, Li Wei woke up as usual.
It was Thursday, and he was scheduled to play in the second game of the regular season, an away game in Washington against the Washington Commanders.
Anya had her own major-specific classes to attend, so she couldn’t go cheer Li Wei on.
Washington wasn’t too far, only a four-hour drive from his home. Don Quixote, acting as his agent, drove Li Wei there himself.
"What you need to do now," he said, "is focus completely and win."
Li Wei’s Spiritual Power could last far longer than four hours; he could probably sustain it for forty and still easily help the team crush the Washington Commanders.
Still, he smiled and accepted Don Quixote’s advice, letting him drive him to Washington to meet up with his teammates.
However, just as they were about to leave after their meal, hoping to reach Washington before 1:00 PM, Don Quixote’s phone rang unexpectedly.
"Lady Laura?" Don Quixote answered the phone, surprised to hear it was John Mara’s secretary. "Does Mr. Mara have a message for me?"
"Good morning, Mr. Don Quixote Cervantes," Laura the secretary said in a crisp, professional voice. "The boss asked me to inform you that the team’s management has just passed a resolution. They have officially approved an exclusive travel plan for Mr. Li Wei’s away games. This includes helicopter transportation for round trips between Manhattan and nearby away game locations, as well as an annual private jet charter for games in other cities across the country."
"Furthermore, the boss has already settled things with the legal department. The cost will be fully expensed through one of the aviation service companies in the team’s sponsor network, written off as a ’commercial image endorsement contract.’ A digital copy of the contract will be sent to your email shortly. Mr. Li Wei just needs to sign this waiver-like endorsement; he won’t be required to perform any actual promotional duties."