American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

He spoke so pitifully that even Don Quixote would have wanted to lend him some money, but the kind-hearted Mark refused him outright.

He said Don Quixote himself hadn’t been well-off for long, and now he was being asked for help. How could he have the face to borrow his money?

Besides, if his project was successful, he could potentially make a profit of over 3 million USD. Then all his problems would be solved.

That evening, because Sarah’s delivery was imminent, Li Wei and the others had a simple dinner nearby before bidding farewell to Mark and his wife.

By the time Li Wei was done fooling around with Anya, casually tossing a shredded nurse’s uniform aside and driving his Cullinan from Riverdale back to Battery City Park, it was already past 1:00 AM.

When he parked the car in the underground garage, he was surprised to find Chen Haisheng still there.

"You’re still here this late?" Li Wei asked, looking at Chen Haisheng polishing a car. "Mr. Chen, do you always stay this late to clean the cars?"

When Chen Haisheng saw Li Wei return, he immediately stood ramrod straight and said, "Good evening, Mr. Li Wei."

Li Wei waved his hand. "Answer my question."

"Not every day," Chen Haisheng said, scratching his head. "It’s just that tonight, Lily suddenly had a craving for Middle Eastern kebab and pilaf from a food cart in Times Square. We only got back from there just after midnight."

"That girl..." Li Wei said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "’How did she start staying up so late after entering middle school? This generation is going to be ruined by smartphones.’"

"Thanks for your hard work," he said sincerely. "When’s your next match? I’ll come and watch."

"The next one is this weekend," Chen Haisheng answered dutifully. "But I’ve looked over my opponent’s profile. I should be fine."

"Regardless," Li Wei said, more concerned about his own 0.2 attribute points. "I’ll be there to cheer you on."

’I’ll activate the [Knight’s Aura] buff for you,’ he thought silently.

"That’s good enough for tonight. I’ll need the car tomorrow. Be safe on your way home," Li Wei said, patting his shoulder before getting into the elevator via the back entrance.

Tomorrow was Thursday, the day of the Giants’ second regular-season game and Li Wei’s first away game.

He would be traveling to Washington, a four-hour drive away, to face the Washington Commanders.

Li Wei couldn’t care less about his opponent’s condition or their formation. To him, it was just another victory, 0.1 attribute points, and a paycheck for 1.44 million USD.

As it happened, after recently paying off a large bill, buying the car, and making the final payment on his secret base, his cash on hand had dropped below 300,000 USD. He was in dire need of an influx of funds.

’Living in New York is no small feat.’ Li Wei’s fixed annual expenses had already surpassed 2 million USD, and that was without much of a social life or any debt.

Most players and even wealthy people couldn’t afford to maintain so many cars or spend money the way he did.

Even a single outing with Anya cost several thousand USD.

Anya never asked him for presents. In fact, she often bought gifts for him when she went clothes shopping—a shirt one day, a pair of leather shoes the next.

But relationships involved giving gifts in return, and Li Wei couldn’t bring himself to be a freeloader. His return gifts were always expensive.

Anya’s spending habits were on another level. Her trust fund had ballooned after she came of age, and her quarterly dividends alone exceeded 12 million USD. If Li Wei gave her a bag from Coach or Calvin Klein, she wouldn’t carry it. Even with Louis Vuitton, she only bought designer collaborations or limited-edition pieces.

Li Wei, who had started to consider finding other investments or financial management options, returned home through the back entrance, only to find the lights still glaring.

"Uncle, you haven’t—"

As Li Wei entered the living room, he saw Don Quixote, eyes shut tight, patrolling the room in his suit of armor with his chest puffed out.

"Don Quixote, the Knight!" Li Wei blurted out. "You’ve returned!"

"I had not expected we would meet again at the Royal Knight Academy, my friend!" Don Quixote boomed. "How have you been faring?"

"I’ve been quite well. I was promoted to Silver Knight," Li Wei said with a nod. "And how have you been?"

"I am well, my friend," Don Quixote said, looking around. "Is this... your domain?"

Li Wei glanced around his Battery City Park apartment. "More or less, I suppose. Shall I give you a tour?"

"I hear you acquired a fine new steed today," Don Quixote declared. "Might I have the honor of admiring it?"

’A fine steed?’ Li Wei thought, freezing for a moment. Then it clicked. ’He must be talking about the Rolls-Royce I picked up today.’

’But Chen Haisheng is still down there...’

Li Wei hesitated for a moment, then smiled. "Of course."

"Let us be off," Don Quixote said with a nod. "I hear it is a steed one in a thousand!"

Speaking of "one in a thousand," Li Wei was suddenly reminded of the quest to collect warhorses.

’Even after spending 700,000 USD on the Rolls-Royce, he still hadn’t met the "one in a thousand" requirement. Did a "one in a thousand" warhorse have to be in the million-dollar range?’

With that thought, Li Wei led Don Quixote into the elevator and down to the underground garage.

"This transportation Magic is truly wondrous," Don Quixote marveled. "A pity I am of peasant stock, with no talent for Magic. I could never learn it."

"It is," Li Wei said, humoring him.

Just around the corner was the garage. Chen Haisheng was about to wipe the Cullinan’s rims clean when he suddenly heard a sound. CLANK. CLANK.

He turned his head and saw Don Quixote standing before him in silence, eyes shut tight, wearing a bizarre suit of armor that looked like a prop from some movie set.

Li Wei quickly stepped forward and whispered an explanation to Chen Haisheng, again attributing it to sleepwalking.

Understanding dawned on Chen Haisheng, but he remained standing there, at a loss for what to do.

"My friend," Don Quixote said suddenly, his eyes still closed. "Is this one of the knightly apprentices studying under you?"

Li Wei paused for a second, then nodded. "You could say that."

"Look at how well he tends to your warhorses," Don Quixote said, gesturing toward the four gleaming cars. "Four steeds, and every one of them in such fine health."

He turned his head to Li Wei. "I believe we ought to reward a knightly apprentice of such noble character. Do you not agree?"

[You have encountered a quest: Just Desserts (Justice)]

[Your knightly apprentice, Chen Haisheng, has been diligent and has never shirked his duties. He has fulfilled, and even exceeded, his responsibilities. As his master, it is only right that you offer him some form of compensation.]

[Quest Objective: Give your knightly apprentice, Chen Haisheng, a gift that will satisfy him.]

[Quest Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1]

Li Wei looked at the somewhat reserved and bewildered Chen Haisheng.

’He really has done an excellent job. He doesn’t take a salary, is always on call, is unfailingly polite, and always cleans the cars meticulously. He’s very dedicated.’

’So... what kind of gift would make him happy?’

After a moment’s thought, Li Wei told Chen Haisheng to keep an eye on Don Quixote and went back upstairs to his apartment.

A short while later, he came back down holding an envelope.

"This was an oversight on my part," he said. "Here, this is for you."

"This is—"

Chen Haisheng opened it to find three complimentary tickets to the VIP family section for a Giants home game.

"These tickets aren’t for sale. On the secondary market, they’d go for about 10,000 USD each, and even then, you can’t find them," Li Wei explained. "You and Chairman Lin can come see me play. You can bring one other person, too."

"If you don’t grasp the significance," he added, "just give these to Chairman Lin. He’ll understand."

Chen Haisheng was no longer the naive kid he used to be. He instantly understood the value of these three tickets, and his eyes filled with ecstasy.

"Thank you, Mr. Li Wei!" he exclaimed, bowing deeply. "I know exactly what to do with these."

[Quest: Just Desserts (Justice) has been completed.]

[Your Knight’s Squire, Chen Haisheng, is very satisfied with your gift. Quest Complete.]

[Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1 has been granted.]

"Go on, head home for the night," Li Wei said, patting his shoulder. "Come see me play next weekend."

After another word of thanks, Chen Haisheng hurried out of the garage.

"Well done, my friend," Don Quixote said, satisfied. "That is the deed of a true Knight."

"I’m glad, too," Li Wei replied. "Welcome back, Don Quixote, the Knight."

"Have you gone daft?" Don Quixote said with a frown. "Did we not receive the King’s honors together just the day before yesterday? How else would we have met at the Royal Knight Academy?"

Li Wei rolled his eyes and said nothing more.

’Don Quixote’s dream timeline was a complete mess.’ He decided not to comment on it.