Chapter 315 - 200: The King’s Secret
’Steward of the Royal Mint? Julian is a senior partner at JPMorgan Chase, so the "Steward of the Mint" position he promised must be an executive role in JPMorgan Chase’s wealth management division.’
’The pieces clicked into place.’
"Colin, your swing looks a little tense. Been under a lot of stress lately?" Li Wei asked casually, handing him a bottle of mineral water after watching him hit a feeble shot.
"It’s the end of the year, and we have a lot of case files at the bureau, so it’s been a bit tiring." Colin wiped the sweat from his brow, trying to maintain his composure.
He watched Li Wei’s casual and unconventional movements and subconsciously started to mimic them. Even though the form wasn’t textbook, he figured this was probably just how important people did things.
"Including having to issue a high-priority suspicious activity report on short notice, freezing 50 million in bridge funds for a foundation under Elizabeth Mellon’s name... that kind of dirty work is a real headache, right?"
Li Wei’s tone was still light, as if he were discussing the weather, but to Colin’s ears, his words were a bolt from the blue.
"Mr. Li Wei," he spun around, staring intently at Li Wei, his voice trembling. "That’s a classified bureau review... you..."
"What else did he promise you?" Li Wei continued, as if talking to himself. "A job at JPMorgan Chase, right?"
Colin was stunned speechless, unable to utter a word.
’Fack! How does he know?’
"Director Harrison is here," Li Wei said, ignoring his question. "He’s the head of sports medicine at the Specialized Surgical Hospital. When he heard we were playing golf today, he even canceled his appointments to join us."
Following Li Wei’s gaze, Colin saw an energetic old man with a full head of silver hair stepping out of a golf cart.
"Li Wei! Hope I’m not late. The traffic in New York was a disaster today!" Director Harrison boomed, walking over with a hearty laugh and giving Li Wei a firm handshake.
"Let me introduce you," Li Wei said. "Director Harrison, also the endowed Chief of Surgery for the Mellon Family. And this, Harrison, is Mr. Colin, a supervisor with the Special Regulatory Review Group of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Bureau of the United States of America."
"Hello," Harrison greeted Colin, who was breaking out in a cold sweat. "Are you all right? You look very pale."
"He’s fine," Li Wei said with a smile. "But you, Mr. Harrison, has your swing improved? I’d hate for my win today to be too boring."
"We’ll see about that, kid," Harrison laughed. "I don’t believe you’ll have that same good luck today."
Colin was left standing there awkwardly, Li Wei’s casual words replaying in his mind. An immense panic, like an invisible hand, seized his already limp prostate in a death grip.
Although these days he didn’t have much use for it, it was still his lifeline.
’Why would an NFL Quarterback know about a highly classified suspicious activity report from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Bureau? Is he connected to that foundation? Did Julian tell him? Or is some even bigger fish paying attention to this?’
People aren’t afraid of ghosts or demons, but of the unknown.
For the next forty minutes, Colin felt as if he were standing on the gallows, waiting for the executioner to pull the lever. He stood stiffly beside the golf cart, his mind a fiery torment.
Finally, after Li Wei and Harrison finished a round, Harrison seemed to get a call from the hospital and hurriedly stepped aside to take it.
Li Wei casually tossed his towel to the caddie and slowly drove the golf cart back to where Colin was.
"You must be very curious how I know, aren’t you?" Li Wei said slowly.
"Is it... a leak from inside the bureau?" Colin swallowed hard.
"That’s not important at all, Colin," Li Wei said, his smile vanishing as he calmly wiped his golf club. "What’s important is that you have no idea what a serious mess you’ve gotten yourself into."
"You don’t even know how many pairs of eyes are watching your every move," he said. "You’ve stuck your hand in the pockets of the oligarchs, the Mellon Family, and Johnson. What do you think the chances are that they’ll all believe you’re just a dedicated patriot doing your job?"
Colin felt as if he were facing a great mountain, the pressure so immense it was suffocating him.
Li Wei glanced at Colin’s weak legs, then at his own [Knight’s Aura - First Sequence (Silver)], and leisurely watched the man struggle.
"Did you think your plan was flawless? Or that you and Julian could fool everyone else?" Li Wei patted Colin’s shoulder. "Guess how an outsider like me found out. Why do you think a club this exclusive approved your application from years ago, and then held an invitational specifically for you? Think it over carefully, Supervisor Colin. We’ll talk again when you have."
With that, Li Wei once again left him standing there and walked over to Director Harrison, who had just finished his call.
"That call didn’t throw off your game, did it?" Li Wei said with a smile. "Shall we play a second round?"
"Bring it on," Director Harrison said defiantly. "I won’t go easy on you this time."
Just then, the Ruby in the eye socket of [The Chattering Court Jester’s Skull], which had been dozing off to the side, began to glow again, its jawbone clacking open and shut:
[The court physician before you is in high spirits. He has served the King for over 20 years. If you make him happy, he might just spill a secret about the old King!]
After speaking, [the Jester’s Skull] fell dormant again.
Li Wei’s eyebrows shot up. ’A secret about the old King? Alexander Mellon?’
"Then get ready to lose!" Li Wei said. "Let’s go again!"
Over the next nine holes, Li Wei put on a performance worthy of an Oscar-winning actor. He was no longer as casual as before; every swing was focused and powerful. But when it came to the crucial putts, he was always off by just a hair.
The two went back and forth, the score staying neck and neck. It was an incredibly close match.
On the final hole, Li Wei intentionally missed a perfect birdie putt on the green, allowing Harrison to win the second round by a razor-thin margin.
"Great shot, Director Harrison!" Li Wei slapped his thigh in frustration, perfectly feigning the indignant but helpless frustration of a proud young man. "So close! It seems I still can’t match your control and experience."
"HAHAHAHAHA!" Harrison had personally defeated a monstrously athletic NFL superstar in his prime. Even though it was only on a golf course, his vanity was immensely satisfied. The old man was beaming, grinning from ear to ear. "Young man, you have amazing talent and power, but when it comes to patience, you still need the tempering of time!"
’True,’ Li Wei thought, looking at the golf club in his hand. ’If it weren’t for [Predestined Trajectory], controlling the score this precisely wouldn’t have been easy.’
The two sat in the golf cart, resting and drinking iced water. Harrison was clearly in an excellent mood, and his gaze toward Li Wei grew increasingly friendly and relaxed.
"Li Wei, you young people should enjoy your life and health while you can." Harrison wiped the sweat from his forehead, his tone suddenly growing wistful as he lowered his voice. "Even with all the wealth and power in the world, you’re helpless before the march of time."
Li Wei keenly caught the deeper meaning in his words and adopted an attentive listening posture. "Have you encountered a difficult patient?"
"Hmm..." Harrison looked Li Wei up and down, then a smile crept onto his face. He leaned in close and said mysteriously, "Alexander’s maids have been calling the medical team much more frequently lately."
"But I happen to think," Director Harrison added, "that his physical condition is still quite good."
After saying that, he clammed up as if he’d never said a word, and went right back to boasting loudly about his technique on the final shot.
’This old fox. His words are full of hidden meanings.’
Li Wei’s eyes flickered. The maids were frequently contacting the medical team. The outside world would most likely assume Alexander Mellon was critically ill, which would cause the succession battle within the family to escalate. This was why Charles Mellon had been so impatient to use Julian as a front man to freeze Elizabeth’s funds. And yet Harrison, the attending physician, insisted the old man’s condition was still quite good.
’What did this mean? Did it mean that Alexander Mellon was most likely faking his illness? Or was he coldly observing a cruel ’winner-take-all’ game designed to select his heir?’
’Or was Director Harrison also lying to him? After all, he was Alexander Mellon’s confidant.’
For a moment, Li Wei couldn’t figure out what this fox—even older than Director Harrison—was thinking.
"I’ve learned my lesson, Director Harrison," he said, smiling and bumping water bottles with him. "Have a great weekend."
After the thoroughly satisfied Director Harrison left in another cart to enjoy his lunch, Li Wei returned to the first tee box.
Colin ran through all the possible outcomes in his mind again. On one side was an unfathomable abyss of capital and power; on the other was his meager salary and the burden of his family.
Seeing Li Wei get out of the cart, Colin immediately walked up, took a deep breath, and said, "Mr. Li Wei, I’ve thought it through."
Li Wei’s face was expressionless, but his voice was mild. "Let’s hear it."
"I will immediately terminate that high-priority Suspicious Activity Report (SAR)." Colin gritted his teeth, his words coming in a rush as he calculated the compliance procedure. "I’ll use the justification that ’the tip’s source is unreliable and preliminary due diligence has found no material violations’ to destroy the investigative file on the Elizabeth Mellon Foundation from within the Financial Crimes Enforcement Bureau. That way, the temporary freeze order will be completely erased before it takes effect next Monday."