Chapter 307 - 194: So You’re a Big Star!
「Half an hour earlier.」
While Li Wei was driving back to New York Manhattan from New Jersey, Don Quixote sat in the executive chair in the study of their Battery City Park apartment, staring at his computer screen.
Chen Haisheng stood behind him, catching a glimpse of Don Quixote’s stern profile out of the corner of his eye.
The latest headline from The Washington Post’s sports section was displayed on the screen: "Metropolis’s False Idol: Why Li Wei’s Savagery Will Ultimately Destroy the New York Giants."
"Do you think this is a targeted attack, or just a coincidence?" Don Quixote swiveled his chair around to face Chen Haisheng. "What do you think?"
"Hmm..." Chen Haisheng said with considerable certainty, "I think it’s a targeted attack."
Don Quixote nodded. "Exactly. This article was published three hours after the game, but I don’t believe a top-tier second-rate media outlet like The Washington Post could produce such a well-researched, well-formatted article in just three hours."
"In other words, whether the final score was 42-3 or 10-3, this press release was going out on schedule," Don Quixote pointed out. "This is highly unusual. Why are they so fixated on Li Wei? Hai Sheng, what did you dig up?"
Chen Haisheng paused, undid a manila envelope in front of him, and tipped out a stack of developed photos, several photocopies of credit card statements, and a copy of a housing lease agreement.
"I tailed him for seven or eight days," Chen Haisheng said. "The reporter who wrote the article is named Richard Klein, the same one who had a conflict with Mr. Li Wei before. According to Washington tax records, his annual salary should be around 140,000 to 160,000 USD. After taxes, mortgage payments, and car insurance, even if he freelances for other people or outlets for extra income, his available cash each month wouldn’t exceed 6,000 USD. But—"
He pushed several photos in front of Don Quixote. They showed a middle-aged man with his arm around a young woman, walking into a high-end apartment building.
"But in reality, he’s renting an apartment in a wealthy area of Arlington, Virginia, and keeping a female student from Georgetown University," he said. "The rent for that apartment alone is at least 5,000 USD a month, not to mention the expense of keeping a mistress."
"So," Don Quixote picked up a photo, looking at the back of the reporter who had publicly clashed with Li Wei, "he has an additional source of income?"
Chen Haisheng nodded and pointed to a stack of copied receipts. "To confirm this, I spent a few hundred USD to bribe the bartender at his usual cigar bar. I found out that he got hooked on sports betting last year and ended up deep in debt to a bookie. He was even cornered in a parking garage and beaten up badly, though he publicly claimed he was injured in a fall."
"But in just over a month, he not only paid off his debts but also started living large," he continued. "I think he must have some dirty money from an unknown source and is intentionally smearing Mr. Li Wei."
"That’s what I think, too," Don Quixote said. "Keep investigating in this direction. If it comes to it, just make him... restrain himself a little. You know what I mean?"
"I understand," Chen Haisheng said crisply. "I have a lot of friends in the right circles."
"Good. Go on, then. Don’t do it in Li Wei’s name. I don’t know anything about this, and neither do you, understand?" Don Quixote closed the web page. "Use the sports betting angle to have a few guys approach him, then get him to wake up a little. Tell him to stop barking everywhere like a dog with a bone."
"Understood."
Chen Haisheng nodded to show he understood. After discussing a few trivial matters with Don Quixote, he had just stepped out the door when he ran right into Li Wei, who was just getting home.
"Hai Sheng," Li Wei nodded. "Still here this late?"
"Yeah," Chen Haisheng smiled, his back bending slightly out of habit. "I was just discussing some things with Mr. Don Quixote. I’m about to head back now."
"Alright," Li Wei said. "Be safe."
Li Wei watched Chen Haisheng’s departing back. He had a feeling Chen Haisheng was hiding something from him, but he figured it probably wasn’t anything major.
Just then, the [Chattering Court Jester Skull] beside him suddenly spoke up.
[What a touching serf!]
The ruby in the jester skull’s eye sockets flickered with a mocking light.
[In that head of his, filled with moldy straw, he actually believes that by merely kissing the Lord Knight’s boots, his commoner self, reeking of dead rats, can protect his own domain like a true lord. Ha! Such pure loyalty, like that of an unweaned lamb. Where did the Lord Knight find such a virtuous soul? Or has it been ten thousand years, and people have all become this foolish?]
’Just shut up,’ Li Wei said inwardly, his face expressionless.
This magic item might be foul-mouthed, but it never lied. For now, he could trust Chen Haisheng.
Li Wei went upstairs and pushed open the door to the study, just in time to see Don Quixote rubbing the bridge of his nose, looking at several rejected letters of intent on his desk.
"Hai Sheng just left." Li Wei walked over to the sofa, sat down, and crossed his legs.
"I know." Don Quixote looked up and pushed the documents in his hand to the edge of the desk. "Good, you’re back. We need to talk about your current situation. To be precise, your polarized public image."
Li Wei glanced at the logos on the documents. They were all top PR firms in the United States of America.
"Rejected?" Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "All of them?"
"All of them. Your on-field behavior has been too wild lately," Don Quixote said, rubbing his face in frustration. "From that statement you made, to throwing the towel on the blue star logo during the game in Dallas. While you’re a god of war in the eyes of most fans, in the eyes of PR firms, you’re an unstable element."
He tapped the rejection letters on the desk. "I contacted PR firms like Edelman and Wanbo Xuanwei. They’ve handled templates like Tom Brady and Mahomes before, but when it comes to your style of openly trampling on moral bottom lines and taking pleasure in torturing opponents, they’re afraid they can’t handle it without ruining their reputation. And I wouldn’t even consider a second-rate team."
"So?" Li Wei shrugged.
He wasn’t actually a big fan of this so-called team spirit anyway.
’It’s not like Captain America ever trained with regular soldiers,’ he thought.
"So, you need to wait a bit," Don Quixote said. "Keep up your dominance on the field. As long as you keep winning, capital’s profit-seeking nature will gradually overcome their moral reservations. In the meantime, I’ll look for some independent publicists, but until then, try to let your performance do the talking."
"Understood," Li Wei nodded and glanced at his watch. "Should I talk to Woody Johnson about that charity foundation?"
"The youth sports rehabilitation foundation?" Don Quixote thought for a moment. "Yes, you can. That might help repair your brand’s public perception. Also, try to be a good student at school. Cultivate a contrast between your on-field and off-field personas, and firmly lock your ’tyrant’ image onto the field."
After giving an "OK" gesture, Li Wei left the study and dialed Woody Johnson’s private number.
The phone rang twice before it was answered. The voice of the New York Jets’ owner and head of the Johnson Group came through the line: "Li Wei! I watched the whole live broadcast yesterday! A lot of people are saying you didn’t play well, but I think you were brilliant. That old goat Jones is probably so pissed off he’ll need a new pacemaker."
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Johnson," Li Wei said politely. "I’m calling mainly about Anya’s capital injection. The related financial trust is already being processed, and I need to confirm the asset reception protocol on the Johnson side."
"Her father, Sergey, already gave me a heads-up," Woody Johnson said in a relaxed tone. "In fact, I know Sergey. Although that guy has a bit of a scary reputation in Eastern Europe, his credit on Wall Street is decent enough. As long as the underlying source of the funds can withstand an audit from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), I have no personal objections to the liquidity. Capital doesn’t ask about its origins. That’s the rule in New York."
Seeing that Johnson had given a clear green light, Li Wei couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
If Johnson had refused to let Anya’s funds into the foundation, he would have had to find another way to lure Julian into the game.
Now that Woody Johnson was willing to do Sergey a favor, the next steps would be much easier.
"Also, Li Wei," Woody Johnson said, "that joint youth sports rehabilitation foundation we talked about, we can start getting the ball rolling on that. Your reputation in Texas may be absolute shit right now—if you’ll pardon my French—but how many damn people are in Texas, and how much money do they have? You’re a hero in New York. A foundation focused on improving youth fitness or helping underprivileged communities won’t just bring us a very significant tax deduction, it’s also the best way to salvage your current commercial image."
"I’ll have Don Quixote coordinate with you on the specific legal and financial framework." Li Wei readily agreed, as this was an important step in building his own interest group.
"Excellent," Woody Johnson said enthusiastically. "When the regular season is over, you’re welcome to visit the Johnson Group headquarters. Whatever kind of sports drink you want, our labs can custom-produce it for you."
’Labs?’ A thought sparked in Li Wei’s mind.
’Could the clue to the alchemist be found at the Johnson Group?’
As he was thinking, a message suddenly popped up on his WeChat, which had been quiet for years.
Li Wei opened it and saw that the message was from Gao Ping, the international student from New York University he had met once at the Manhattan car dealership.
Li Wei didn’t have a bad impression of the chubby kid; he just thought it was fun to mess with him occasionally. The sense of superiority that came with the dramatic irony was quite amusing.
Sure enough, when he opened the message, that satisfying rush of the reveal hit him full force:
"Bro!!!! HOLY SHIT!!! So you’re a huge star!!!"
The corners of Li Wei’s mouth turned up slightly.