Chapter 323 - 207: I Am Liz’s Uncle
The homeless man seemed to be struggling to organize his thoughts, trying to connect Li Wei's questions and extract the key information. "You just said... a major pharmaceutical company? You're looking for someone who knows medicine, right?"
Li Wei's gaze sharpened. "Go on."
"I don't know his name, and I don't know if he's from some Johnson Group," the homeless man said, pointing to a companion behind him who was scarfing down food. "But a while back, Limping Thomas got a huge gash on his leg from a rusty piece of sheet metal. It got infected and started oozing pus. We all thought he wouldn't make it through the winter."
"And then?" Li Wei pressed. "You ran into a doctor?"
"Something like that. Hey, Thomas, you lazy bum," the lead homeless man trailed off, turning around to curse. "Stop fucking eating and get up here to answer the gentleman's questions."
Limping Thomas slowly dragged his bad leg to the front, swallowing a second cheeseburger in one gulp. He watched his companions rapidly demolishing the remaining burgers, then turned his head with some reluctance.
"Yes, sir," he said, scratching at his dreadlocks, which looked like they hadn't been washed in years. "I did indeed meet a guy who was as kind as you are."
"He was wearing a gray trench coat and glasses, looked very gentle and refined," he said, showing Li Wei his wound. "After he saw me trying to get water from the fountain in the park, he not only cleaned my wound but also gave me a few bottles of antibiotics. He told me he'd be setting up a sort of clinic near the park at a fixed time to hand out medicine and provide treatment for the homeless."
As he spoke, the Jester's Skull bobbed up and down, synchronously translating his words:
The wights have provided a key piece of information... Sounds like this heretical Alchemist is actually a good person? And what did he get for it? Kicked out of the tower. Hahahahaha, I've seen this exact scene play out countless times over the millennia.
"Where is he?"
Li Wei pressed.
Since the Jester's Skull had just confirmed this was the heretical Alchemist, he had to get a clear answer.
Limping Thomas was about to speak when the lead homeless man grabbed him.
He didn't say a word, just gave Li Wei a fawning smile.
Li Wei followed his gaze and understood why.
He shook his head, let out a soft chuckle, and moved all the burgers and cigarettes in front of the homeless men.
He wasn't disgusted by the man's blatant opportunism.
After all, they knew Li Wei wasn't there to offer long-term charity. Most likely, this was a one-time act of kindness.
If they missed this chance, it was possible that, lacking food and clothing, they would freeze or starve to death in a sewer sometime this winter.
Li Wei couldn't bring himself to be too harsh on them.
Seeing Li Wei move everything in front of them, Thomas's eyes lit up at the sight of the cartons of cigarettes.
He eagerly tore open a pack of Marlboros, greedily sniffing the scent of fresh tobacco. Usually, he had to scavenge for cigarette butts.
"Saint Mary's Park, in the South Bronx, sir," he said indistinctly, leaning close to the fire, heedless of the heat. "That kind fellow in the glasses last showed up late on Tuesday night. If he wasn't lying, he should be there again next Tuesday night, by the abandoned fountain."
"Next Tuesday, Saint Mary's Park."
Li Wei didn't linger. He nodded, got into his Cadillac Escalade, and drove away.
Before Li Wei's car was even gone, the remaining homeless men swarmed forward, scrambling for the rest of the cigarettes and food.
「...」
Time marched on. Two days later, Friday officially kicked off midterm week for Yale University undergraduates.
The relentless academic pressure began to indiscriminately elbow everyone. For freshmen girls like Anya and Elizabeth, who came from top elite families but weren't necessarily intellectual prodigies, this pressure was particularly palpable.
This was especially true for Elizabeth, who not only had to cope with a heavy academic workload but also devote enormous energy to managing the art museum and her foundation.
But fortunately, they had Knight Li Wei, with his Spiritual Power of 4.0.
Among their many courses, whenever there was a group project presentation, Li Wei would team up with Elizabeth or Anya and essentially carry them by taking over their share of the work. Such was the case for today's midterm group presentation for "Western Art History: From the Renaissance to Modernism."
On the stage, Anya and Elizabeth sat in supporting roles, watching a vibrant Li Wei, dressed in a dark casual suit, command the stage in front of the projector screen.
"—In conclusion, regarding the substantive control the patronage system of the Renaissance exerted over artistic expression, we cannot rely solely on speculative interpretations based on sentimental color theory or theological metaphors."
"By combining this with line graphs showing the import of expensive pigments like lapis lazuli during that period, we can draw an obvious conclusion: these sacred religious paintings were, in essence, still a matter of resource allocation based on the patron. Art also had to consider commerce, take data into account, and make compromises for business."
"A very unique perspective of empirical analysis, Mr. Li Wei," the professor said, taking off his reading glasses. "The logic is tight, the data citations are thorough. No doubt about it."
"So it looks like I won't be getting kicked out at the end of the semester?" Li Wei joked.
There was a reason he only had to attend class three days a week and enjoyed such special privileges—he had made a bet with Edward, the associate director of undergraduate admissions, and the dean of the School of Management.
He needed to get straight A's in his final exams for the first semester, and the midterms counted toward the final grade (from Chapter 116).
"I don't think I can be too harsh on you in any area," the professor said with a smile. "Although some parts of your presentation were a bit... by the book, we can't forget you're only a freshman."
Li Wei shrugged. After all, he had memorized all the undergraduate textbooks, so it was inevitable that he sounded like he was reciting them.
The classroom erupted in enthusiastic applause. Below the stage, Anya let out a long sigh of relief and slumped into her chair.
She had pulled several all-nighters these past few days and felt like even her glossy black hair had started to look a little dull.
After the presentation, the three of them walked out of the academic building, one after another.
The cold November wind of New Heaven blew past, and Elizabeth instinctively tightened the collar of her trench coat.
She watched Li Wei ahead, his arm around Anya, and quickened her pace slightly, wanting to be closer to him.
"Li Wei, I really owe you for this one," she said, breaking the silence. "You know I haven't had any time to deal with this stuff lately."
"It's okay, Liz," Anya said, grinning as she hugged Li Wei and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Li Wei's the best, isn't he?"
Saying that, she hugged Li Wei affectionately and looked at him. "Christmas is coming up. What gift do you want? I just came into a lot of money, so pick whatever you want!"
"Really?"
Li Wei raised an eyebrow. Walking alongside Anya, he leaned in and whispered something in her ear.
Elizabeth definitely didn't hear what he said.
But she could guess it was nothing proper, because Anya's face instantly flushed red to the tips of her ears, and she started pinching Li Wei's arm frantically.
Elizabeth watched the interaction between Anya and Li Wei with a hint of envy, then cleared her throat and continued.
"By the way, Li Wei, there's one more thing."
"The banquet on Saturday night at the Dandong Temple Hall in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Li Wei asked, sounding a bit resigned. "Uncle Don Quixote and I got an invitation too. Can we skip it?"
With fame comes controversy. As his reputation grew, the high-society circles he once needed Elizabeth and Anya to guide him into were now starting to send him invitations directly.
"I'm afraid not," Anya said with a pained expression. "Because I was invited too."
"Because the host this time is the Johnson Group," Elizabeth nodded. "So we're all on the guest list. It's only right that we go."
Anya had also invested money in the Youth Sports Rehabilitation Foundation, and Li Wei was an ambassador under Elizabeth's name, so all three of them had to attend.
"Alright," Li Wei said after a moment's thought. "My game is on Sunday afternoon. Saturday should be fine. No problem."
「...」
On Saturday evening, Manhattan's Fifth Avenue was abuzz with the clamor of money and power.
In front of the wide steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, camera flashes rained down like a storm, illuminating the early winter New York sky as if it were day.
Security guards had set up long velvet ropes.
Li Wei's Cullinan and Elizabeth's Phantom arrived at the drop-off area one after the other.
"Over here! Li Wei!"
"Mr. Don Quixote Cervantes, as Li Wei's manager, is the current public opinion surrounding him all under your control?"
"Miss Elizabeth Mellon, please give us a smile!"
Walking through the long corridor, Li Wei entered the Dandong Temple Hall. Beyond the massive floor-to-ceiling glass walls lay the night view of Central Park.
"Look who it is! Our New York hero!" Mayor Holmes appeared before Li Wei again, patting him on the shoulder familiarly as if they were old friends.
Although Li Wei disliked Mayor Holmes's style of pushing diversification and forced cultural integration, he put up with him for a moment before making an excuse to get away.
Immediately after, Li Wei and Anya ran into John Mara, the owner of the Giants. He now looked at Li Wei as if he were a gold mine, wishing he could show off to the entire room what he considered the greatest signing of his life.
Besides John Mara and a scion of the Johnson Family who was hosting the event, Li Wei also saw Harrison, the director of the Specialized Surgical Hospital, from afar. The old man was clearly in a good mood today, raising his glass to Li Wei from across the crowd.
Don Quixote hadn't been back in this world of fame and fortune for a long time. He disappeared as soon as he entered, looking like he was planning to have a couple of drinks, get in the zone, and rub his hands together to see if he could snag a few more business contracts for Li Wei.
It was still a long way from midnight, so Li Wei wasn't worried that his uncle would suddenly transform into a Knight like some sort of Cinderella. He let him go about his business.
After a round of socializing, Anya, who had never been very interested in such gatherings, called for her butler, Kaja, to take her home. Li Wei walked her to the door.
When he returned, Li Wei's gaze swept the hall, searching for Elizabeth. He planned to talk to her about Julian and some of the follow-up work after the cross-bank interception.
Just as he was passing a marble column displaying ancient Egyptian sculptures, heading toward the VIP lounge, a somewhat jarring figure suddenly cut him off.
It was a white man who looked to be in his forties.
He wasn't tall, and his build could even be described as gaunt. He wore a slightly flashy, dark red velvet suit with no tie, the top three buttons of his shirt undone.
With his arm around a blonde woman who was a head taller than him and dressed in an extremely revealing outfit, he blocked Li Wei's path.
"Hey! Look who it is!" The middle-aged man leaned against the marble column as if he had no bones, his posture completely undignified. "Metropolis's fucking bloodthirsty gladiator?"
Li Wei stopped and frowned at the unfamiliar short man before him.
The man released the blonde beauty and took two very natural steps forward, completely breaching normal social distance as he sized Li Wei up.
"Don't be so uptight, big guy," he said, speaking rapidly. "Jeez, are those muscles from horse steroids?"
He cracked a deeply neurotic smile. "Let me introduce myself. Alister Mellon. I'm Liz's uncle."
Li Wei paused.
"Wow, I really couldn't tell," he responded. "Are you sure you two are related? After all, Charles Mellon is quite handsome."