Chapter 281 - 175: Great, Uncle Is Still Sick
After all, nothing from the system—be it skills or equipment—was ever useless.
[Stealth], [Burst], [Knight Fighting Art]... the list went on.
And that wasn’t even getting into the equipment. The most broken thing about the [Ring of All Things Smooth] was that it was a goddamn piece of causality-altering equipment.
’System-made means top-quality, right?’
While the ring hadn’t boosted Li Wei’s combat power in the slightest, its influence on his daily life was all-encompassing.
From finding a parking spot and shopping to handling everyday tasks—good luck followed him everywhere. He never had to sweat the small stuff.
’I’m on a serious lucky streak.’
Yet, his intuition told him that compared to the silver treasure chest before him, all of that was starting to look like small potatoes.
’A silver-tier chest, and the very first one from the system, at that. It has to contain something good.’
But good things also meant a high degree of difficulty.
Li Wei looked at the mission panel’s requirements:
[Mission Objective: Pull him from the abyss and display a Knightly virtue.]
He instantly felt what a pain in the ass this was.
’Why couldn’t this be one of those missions I could finish just by eating, drinking, or kicking over a trash can?’
First, the mission was all but stating that this "shadow Pre-IPO project" Mark was talking about was deeply flawed—and possibly a huge trap.
Pulling him out directly wouldn’t be too hard. If it was about the money, Li Wei could even make Mark his agent and give him a cut from his own nine-figure annual salary.
But the tricky part was getting Mark to display a Knightly virtue in the process.
That was the difficult part. It would require careful planning.
After a moment of thought, Li Wei interrupted the high-spirited, fast-talking Mark.
"Mr. Mark, could you tell me more about this project of yours?" he asked with a smile. "If there’s an opportunity, do you think I could get in on it, too?"
But Mark’s expression turned troubled.
He hesitated for a full thirty seconds before finally shaking his head.
"I’m sorry, Mr. Don Quixote, Mr. Li Wei," he said, his tone firm despite his troubled expression. "Doing so would expose my friend. I promised him I’d keep this project confidential, so I can’t disclose any information about it."
Li Wei nodded to show he understood and didn’t press the issue.
Though his direct probing had failed, Li Wei still saw a few positive signs.
’At least this Mark guy loves his wife and keeps his promises. That’s close enough to a couple of the eight Knightly virtues. Maybe I can guide him toward displaying one of them as we get to know each other.’
"But the success of this project rests entirely on your friend," Don Quixote pointed out. "If his information isn’t solid, all the time, energy, and money you’re investing will go down the drain. You were just made partner; wouldn’t it be better to focus on stabilizing your career first?"
’Nice,’ Li Wei mentally applauded Don Quixote. ’You’ve got a way with words. Keep it up.’
’Hopefully, since he’s Mark’s senior, he can talk him into dropping this plan altogether.’
"Mr. Don Quixote, I don’t have a choice," Mark said, shaking his head. "To be honest—"
He glanced around, then leaned in toward the other two and whispered cautiously:
"I’m even starting to regret Sarah becoming a stay-at-home mom."
"In New York, having a healthy cash flow is an illusion," Mark said. "Let’s not even get started on taxes. For every 10,000 USD I earn, the IRS takes half of it right off my paycheck. The other half has to cover the essentials for living on the Upper West Side. And that’s not even counting the massive mortgage on this duplex, the property taxes, or the Manhattan management fees. We’re talking tens of thousands for a suit, a 100,000 USD annual membership to a club on Long Island, and those damn charity galas where a single ticket costs 10,000 USD."
"You shouldn’t have gone to Merrill Lynch," Don Quixote said, shaking his head regretfully. "A big bank like JPMorgan Chase would reimburse you for club memberships and charity galas."
"The competition at JPMorgan Chase is too intense," Mark said with a bitter smile. "I couldn’t have made partner there, which is why I went to Merrill Lynch. The perks aren’t as good, but the total compensation—salary plus bonus—is still decent. I can always tough it out for a few years and jump back over."
"The main issue is the timing of Sarah’s pregnancy," he said with a sigh. "My financial projections were fine before, but the problem is that when I took the offer from Merrill Lynch, I completely overlooked the cost of a child. A top private preschool on the Upper West Side is 60,000 USD a year, and you can’t even get in if you apply in the same year. I had to pay a deposit a year in advance just to hold a spot. On top of that, we’ll need to hire a nanny after Sarah gives birth, and the going rate for that around here is 100,000 to 120,000 USD a year."
"What kind of nanny costs 120,000 USD a year?" Li Wei blurted out. "Do you need a PhD to be qualified to watch a kid?"
"You could hire a nanny from Brooklyn, sure," Mark said. "But if word got out, we’d be humiliated. We wouldn’t be able to show our faces in the neighborhood."
Listening to him talk, Li Wei couldn’t help but cover his face. ’This guy Mark really has it rough.’
’He’d already hit two out of the three big life events that could send your social status plummeting back home: buying a house with a mortgage and having a kid.’
"But we just have to get through this year and everything will be fine," Mark said, surprisingly optimistic. "This year will just be a little tough, that’s all."