Chapter 359 - 234: December’s First Snow
"My entire year’s salary wouldn’t cover one of your all-in rounds," Don Quixote declined with a smile. "I need to go update Li Wei on how things are progressing."
"Right, go on then," John Mara said, patting his shoulder. "Say hello to Li Wei for me."
Don Quixote laughed heartily at that, gave a wave, and turned toward the VIP elevator.
By the time their meeting—oh, not a meeting, but the feast where Don Quixote and John Mara carved up the spoils—was over, the sky had long since gone completely dark. The fans and media had dispersed, leaving the entire stadium looking deserted and quiet.
In the underground VIP garage of MetLife Stadium, Li Wei’s signature black and green Rolls-Royce Cullinan was parked quietly in a VIP spot, right next to John Mara’s black Maybach.
On the entire Giants team, only Li Wei had the status to park his car next to John Mara’s.
When Don Quixote arrived at the underground garage, he found Li Wei sitting on the hood of his car. Jin Heon was standing beside him, holding a laptop and rapidly briefing Li Wei on the upcoming PR battle plan.
"Boss, I’ve just contacted a few media outlets that are on good terms with us," Jin Heon said, her smiling eyes glinting with a cunning light. "Since we’re completely in the right on this physical exam issue, there’s no reason not to make a story out of it. I plan to leak the news."
Li Wei toyed with his car keys, watching her with interest. "Oh? And how do you plan on leaking it?"
"We’ll say, ’The Yellow-Skinned God underwent the most rigorous, comprehensive, secret, blind testing in league history and passed with a 100% perfect score’!"
Jin Heon gestured excitedly, as if she could already see tomorrow’s front-page headlines. "We don’t need to explain any complex metrics. We just need to build a public persona of someone ’above using drugs.’ Once we set that tone, today’s terrifying 65-0 score will flip from ’suspected of doping’ into an absolute moat protecting your personal commercial value! Your dominance in the NFL will rise to another level."
"I think that’s a good idea, Xiaojin."
Don Quixote had just overheard this. He walked over, casually pulled open a car door, and tossed his briefcase inside.
"By the way, Mr. Don Quixote," Jin Heon said, looking at him and suddenly sounding a bit sheepish, "I overstepped my bounds just now."
"What happened?" Don Quixote’s expression darkened, and he frowned.
"I, for one, think she did the right thing," Li Wei said with a wave of his hand. "Jin Heon, you tell him."
"Mr. Don Quixote, I know you told me to wait, but it was obvious those reporters were looking for trouble," Jin Heon explained. "In today’s internet media landscape, truth always lags behind emotion! If a single photo of the boss getting ambushed at the door gets out, the public won’t care if the final test results are negative. They’ll just assume he’s guilty."
"So I charged out and scared them off," she said, a little embarrassed. "I forced the public test into a private, compliant one. I know I overstepped my authority, but I believe it was the better solution."
The grim look on Don Quixote’s face gradually softened, and he suddenly let out a soft chuckle.
He didn’t launch into a long lecture. Instead, he pulled his phone from his inner suit pocket and swiped his finger across the screen a few times.
DING-DONG.
A crisp notification sound came from the phone in Jin Heon’s pocket.
She froze for a moment, then hesitantly pulled out her phone. Emblazoned on the screen was a transfer notification from JPMorgan Chase—a full 50,000 USD, deposited directly into her personal account!
"Back on Wall Street, my supervisor once told me something," Don Quixote said, putting his phone back in his pocket. "It might be a bit crude... Let me translate. It’s basically that breaking the rules to solve a problem is a million times more important than following the rules and screwing things up."
"That 50,000 USD just saved at least 10 million USD of Li Wei’s commercial value," he said. "If he’d really gotten embroiled in a doping scandal, even if he proved his innocence later, it would have affected how major clients see us. Well done, Xiaojin."
Jin Heon stared blankly at the string of zeros on the screen as an unprecedented wave of ecstasy shot through her body like a high-voltage current.
The sense of accomplishment from being recognized, combined with the thrill of sudden wealth, made her eyes well up. She immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle. "Thank you, Mr. Don Quixote! Thank you, Boss! I’ll work even harder!"
50,000 USD! I’ve hit the jackpot!!!!
She was so excited she wanted to scream in the empty garage. She’d only been on the job for a month and had already made 150,000 USD!!!
’At this rate, I might be able to buy my dream villa in another 20 years!’
"I hope our boss here will forgive me for overstepping and rewarding Xiaojin?" Don Quixote suddenly patted Li Wei’s shoulder, teasing him. "What do you think, Boss?"
"Oh, come on, Uncle," Li Wei said, exasperated, as he brushed Don Quixote’s hand away. "You already sent the money. I can’t very well say no now, can I? Besides, I agree she did the right thing."
With that, he hopped off the hood. "Brother Haisheng went to monitor the lab’s progress. Who’s driving? The boss spent money today, so he doesn’t feel like driving."
"I will, I will!" Jin Heon immediately shoved her phone back into her pocket. "I have a driver’s license!"
However, once in the driver’s seat, Jin Heon’s shoulders were ramrod straight. Her hands hovered around the steering wheel, making tentative gestures but never actually touching anything.
"It’s to the left of the steering wheel," Li Wei prompted. "Next to the headlight dial."
"Oh, right!" Jin Heon leaned over awkwardly and finally found the start button on the wood-paneled dashboard to the left.
Jin Heon gripped the steering wheel for dear life, carefully maneuvering the Cullinan out of the garage as if she were piloting a spaceship filled with explosives.
The car merged into the quiet New Jersey night, beginning its crawl toward New York.
"There’s one more piece of business. Xiaojin, you should listen to this too." (Jin Heon flinched again when she heard her name.) Don Quixote took two bottles of water from the back seat’s mini-fridge and handed one to Li Wei. "Those old guys upstairs were completely blown away by your 65-0 score today. They’ve agreed to everything regarding the manufacturing channels for the sports drink and the prime-time Super Bowl ad slot."
"Sounds like a total victory." Li Wei took the bottle, twisted it open, and took a sip.
"Not only that, the head of the online casino privately offered an extra deal." Don Quixote held up two fingers. "A no-fault commercial endorsement worth 20 million USD."
Li Wei let out a whistle. "So, Uncle, what’s the catch?"
"The catch is," Don Quixote said, "for the next five regular-season games, they’re demanding that in the first three quarters of each game, the Giants have to be losing for at least two of them."
After hearing this, Li Wei couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.
’These people are so desperate to protect their ratings and hedge their betting pools that they’re willing to use cold, hard cash to put me in shackles, just to artificially create suspense in the games.’
"This is no easy task," Don Quixote analyzed the pros and cons calmly. "An American football game can change in an instant. Falling behind on purpose means you have to stage a comeback in the final quarter, or even the last few minutes. It’s an extreme test of your absolute control over the game. The slightest mistake, and you could blow it, lose the game, and break your undefeated streak."
"I don’t think it’ll be a big problem," Li Wei said after a moment’s thought. "What do you think?"
"Personally, I think the comeback narrative would make the games more exciting, and it would also manage to protect everyone’s interests," Don Quixote said. "Xiaojin, what do you think?"
"What? Oh! I think... I think it’s a good thing, too," Jin Heon said after thinking for a moment. "If the boss plans to launch a sports drink, I can spin a story about him suffering a minor injury after the game, which is why he’s having a tougher time in the following matches."
She glanced at Li Wei in the back seat through the rearview mirror, and when she saw the gray sweatpants he was wearing, her face instantly flushed red and she quickly looked away.
"Th... then..." she stammered, "um..."
"The playoffs and the Super Bowl," Li Wei prompted.
"Right! The playoffs and the Super Bowl," Jin Heon said, clearing her throat with a couple of coughs. "Then he makes a strong comeback. It’s the best possible prelude for marketing the sports drink."
Li Wei himself didn’t really care. As long as he won, he would get attribute points.
Looking at the 0.1 attribute points he had just earned from the huge victory against the Philadelphia Eagles, Li Wei’s only requirement for a game was to win.
"When do they need an answer?" he asked, looking at Don Quixote.
"They didn’t say," Don Quixote shook his head. "But if you give them an answer this week, he said he’ll personally send you a gift."
"Didn’t say what it is?" Li Wei thought for a moment. "Well, I’m not one to turn down a freebie. Tell him I’ll take the deal. Oh, right, but can we hold off on signing the contract until the beginning of next year?"
"I still have over 14 million USD to spend," he said with a frown. "Arthur is still helping me find a mansion that meets our tax-avoidance requirements. If another 20 million comes in, I really won’t be able to spend it all this year."
Don Quixote burst out laughing. "You’re one of a kind. Everyone else is complaining about not having enough endorsements, and here you are trying to push them away."
Li Wei shrugged and said no more, simply watching the New York cityscape fly by outside the window.
「In the days that followed, the focus of Li Wei’s life returned to the Yale campus.」
Time moved into December, and the biting early winter wind swept across the entire Northeastern United States.
On Wednesday morning, the first snow of the season fell unexpectedly on New Haven.
The snowfall wasn’t heavy, but the fine flakes, like white powdered sugar, quietly blanketed the ancient Gothic buildings of Yale University.
The dark gray stone walls, sharp spires, and bare oak branches all appeared even more solemn and stately against the backdrop of white snow.
A crisp, pure scent filled the air, and stepping on the bluestone paths covered in a thin layer of snow produced a faint CRUNCH.
However, in stark contrast to this tranquil and beautiful snowy scene was a suffocatingly tense atmosphere that permeated the entire Yale Campus.
As Li Wei walked along the path to Sterling Memorial Library, he keenly sensed this change.
The Ivy League elites, who on normal days would be playing frisbee on the lawns, strumming guitars, or holding forth on grand topics with coffee in hand, had all vanished without a trace.
The few students who did hurry past him all had sunken eyes and messy hair, clutching thick files and reference books, their gazes as vacant as if their souls had just been sucked out by a Dementor.
Just as Li Wei was wondering what was going on, Anya suddenly called.
"Babe, where are you?" Anya’s voice was full of excitement. "I’ll come drive you to the Old Campus. There’s a really interesting event going on. You’ll definitely be interested."