Chapter 253 - 157: Hole in One
"I’ve already told you, you can just call me Liz," Elizabeth said, her voice a bit weary. "When are you going to stop calling me Miss Elizabeth? It’s a little too... polite."
"Alright, Miss Elizabeth," Li Wei said. "Was there something you needed?"
"Ahem," Elizabeth paused, then said suddenly, "Is Anya out of New York right now? I just sent her a message, but she hasn’t replied in a long time."
Li Wei glanced at the time. It was currently late at night in Moscow, so Anya was probably still asleep.
"Yeah, she went back to Moscow for something. She probably won’t be back until late August, before school starts," Li Wei said. "If you need her, you could try messaging her in the evening. She might reply then."
"Oh," Elizabeth said. "Hmm... well, I’ll contact her later if I need to—by the way, how have you been? I heard you guys went to Utah for a graduation trip? Was it fun?"
Although Li Wei wasn’t sure why she was bringing this up—the change in topic felt a bit forced—he still gave her a brief account of their trip, including their run-in with a cult in Utah.
"My gosh, that’s truly terrifying," Elizabeth exclaimed. "I’m so glad to hear you’re all okay."
"Actually," Li Wei said, suddenly remembering her last name, "I’ve run into a bit of trouble recently..."
...
Elizabeth was much faster than he had imagined. Just two days later, she excitedly told Li Wei that she was inviting him to a private event she was organizing at her golf club over the weekend.
On a weekend morning, the breeze in the Hamptons carried the salty, damp chill of the Atlantic Ocean, offering Li Wei an escape from the steamer-like heat of New York City.
’This place really is a vacation paradise for New York’s wealthy,’ he thought as he drove his 911. ’These people sure know how to live.’
A few minutes later, he drove into a golf club with no conspicuous signage. A vast, flawless lawn, manicured like velvet, came into view, with a few low-key, cedar-clad buildings peeking out from among the green trees.
A valet respectfully took his car keys. Just as Li Wei stepped onto the clubhouse terrace, he saw Elizabeth.
She was wearing an off-white Loro Piana casual golf outfit. Her soft blonde hair was simply tied back, and she wore no conspicuous jewelry. She looked stunning.
When she saw Li Wei, her eyes lit up slightly, and she hurried over to greet him. But as they got closer, Li Wei noticed a trace of imperceptible awkwardness mixed into her standard smile.
She walked shoulder-to-shoulder with him toward the golf course. On the way, she lowered her voice, her brow slightly furrowed, her tone carrying a clear note of apology. "Sorry, things didn’t go as smoothly as I had imagined."
Li Wei slowed his pace and turned his head to look at her. "What’s wrong?"
"I originally thought they would do me a favor on account of the Mellon Family’s name, but they insisted on talking business... I’m so sorry for making you spend so much money. I feel like I’ve messed things up."
In her eyes, she had confidently promised to help Li Wei, but the result was that she had only found him a few expensive "agents." This didn’t align with what she had promised on the phone.
However, Li Wei just chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"$600,000 USD to get to know a partner at a White Shoe Law Firm, a retired New York Police Department deputy chief, and a department head at the Specialized Surgical Hospital," Li Wei said. "And to have the New York City Department of Buildings, the EPA, the ATF, and even the State Department of Health complete a six-month process in one week? That’s not just ’not expensive,’ it’s the most cost-effective deal possible."
Elizabeth Mellon nodded. She understood all this. The fact that she could arrange this meeting was already a massive favor in itself.
After all, not just anyone could ask her to help make these kinds of connections.
But for some reason, when faced with Li Wei’s request for help, she found the fact that she had offered to help, only to have him spend money anyway, to be incredibly embarrassing.
The two of them walked along a smooth, green path to the tee box of the eighteenth hole.
Under a large patio umbrella, three middle-aged men around the age of fifty were sitting in wide wicker chairs, chatting idly. When they saw Elizabeth and Li Wei approaching, the three of them stopped talking and stood up.
"Hello, Uncles. This is the Li Wei I was telling you about," Elizabeth said, putting on an impeccable, polite smile as she made the introductions. "This is Mr. Royce, a senior partner at a Manhattan White Shoe Law Firm specializing in land use rights. This is Mr. Jack Finch, former Deputy Chief of the New York City Police Department and now a partner at Blackwater Security Consulting. And this is Director Harrison, head of the Sports Medicine Department at the Specialized Surgical Hospital."
Li Wei stepped forward and, with calm confidence, shook hands with each of the three men—movers and shakers who held significant sway in their respective New York fields.
Surprisingly, Royce and Finch were both extremely easy to deal with. For people like them, who were well-versed in the rules of the "revolving door," as long as the money was there and they had the endorsement of a collateral branch of the Mellon Family, it was all just a routine business transaction.
"Mr. Li Wei, regarding the zoning changes for your rehabilitation center and security facilities, I will submit the application to the Department of Buildings under the name ’Horizon Holding Company Limited’," Royce said with a smile, taking a sip of his ice water. "Mr. Jack Finch will take care of the negative pressure ventilation system for the EPA and the ATF review. You just need to have the checks ready."