Basketball Terminal

Chapter 19 Comedy
The submachine gun in Li Wei's hand was obviously fake, just a simulation model with the orange model ring removed. In a country where gun ownership is common, if you want the other party to think you have a gun, you'd better actually have one, even if it's a fake.

Kim Mi-won's cousin didn't have one, so he could only raise his hands in surrender. Surrendering in the face of truth is not shameful. Even if he actually had a gun, even if it was just a model, instead of pretending to have one behind his back, Li Wei would still have backed down; you can't afford to gamble.

The two sides finally sat down to talk. $2000 was indeed not a large sum, but Kim Mi-won couldn't come up with it in a short time.

Many ordinary Americans don't have a habit of saving; they spend as much as they earn. For large expenses, they take out loans or use credit cards, paying them off in installments. Insurance can cover a significant portion of expenses, provided you allocate cash flow to premium payments.

"Oppa, I'm really struggling at my shop right now. You know how things are; everyone's business is tough. Daily expenses are huge, and all the money's going towards clothes. Your shop must be having a hard time too, which is why you're asking for money, right? I totally understand. So, how about a little delay? I'll pay you half, and you can come pick up the other half later, okay?"

After realizing that Li Wei was no longer a naive young man, Kim Mi-won's tone and attitude immediately underwent a 180-degree turn, shifting from a superior to a subordinate. The 28-year-old addressed the 20-year-old Li Wei as "Oppa" without any sense of incongruity.

This supple figure was also a skill honed under the pressure of survival. As she spoke, she moved closer to Li Wei, wrapped her arms around his, and gently rubbed his arm with her bulging breasts, making Li Wei feel a rush of blood to his head.

Young people in their twenties are full of vigor and vitality. Although the daytime training was exhausting, after a few hours, a meal would help Li Wei recover, and he would feel like he was back to normal.

Kim Mi-won noticed some changes in Lee Wei: the stiffness in his muscles and the subtle expressions on his face, indicating that her charm offensive had some effect.

Kim Mi-won pressed her advantage, intensifying her efforts, and said, "If that really doesn't work, could we... perhaps repay some of it in another way?"

Li Wei turned to look at Kim Mi-won, who was leaning against him with her arms crossed, her legs, clad in black stockings, elegantly crossed, exuding a delicate and charming aura.

She used to act like a fierce, domineering older sister, as if she were acting in a TV drama. As soon as the director yelled "cut," she detached herself from the role and reverted to her current self.

But Li Wei knew perfectly well which version was acting in a TV drama and which was reality. His hand remained on the submachine gun as he picked up where Jin Meiyuan left off, asking, "What other methods are there?"

What do you think, Oppa?

"I'll give you a list; you need to find a way to get me a set of professional basketball training gear. This includes a quick-drying jersey, running shoes, a heart rate monitor, a foam roller, a shoe box, professional sports socks, and… I'll think about it. Is that okay?"

Li Wei's words stunned Kim Mi-won. Another way? This was it? The set he listed cost far more than $1000. She tried to let go, but a glance at the submachine gun in Li Wei's hand made her hesitate.

"Oppa, these are all sporting goods. I sell women's clothing here, and I don't have what you're looking for. How about you pick out a few nice outfits for your mom as a gift?"

“I don’t need women’s clothing. $1000 plus these items is my condition. You’re in the clothing business, so you must have ways to get cheap stuff. Anyway, if it’s over $1000, consider it interest. If it’s under $1,000, you’ve made a profit. It’s perfectly fair.”

Jin Meiyuan's eyes darted around. Li Wei was right; she did have connections. Clothing suppliers certainly didn't just deal in one style; they knew many distributors of other product categories. She could use those connections to ask around and buy cheap, affordable goods.

If you calculate the price carefully, you might actually be able to keep it below $1000. Besides, others owe her money, and if she could settle it with goods, even just $1000, that would be quite good. It wasn't a large sum to begin with, and making a scene with a gun was really unnecessary.

After both threats and inducements failed, Kim Mi-won realized that Lee Wei was no longer the naive boy from Hong Le Laundry, but a troublesome and difficult guy.

So she readily paid the $1000 for the order, and used the remaining $1000 to purchase items from Levi's list to offset the debt. After signing a simple agreement, the two shook hands and made peace. Kim Mi-won's slender fingers contrasted sharply with Levi's large hands. Kim Mi-won gently scratched Levi's palm with her long nails and laughed, "Victor, are you really not going to consider letting me repay part of it in another way?" Levi said, "Once you underpaid by $150 when you paid the bill. You can repay that $150 in whatever way you want. However, I'm afraid that you won't be able to repay it and will even owe some of it."

Kim Mi-won pulled her hand back and rolled her eyes: "Tch! You think my methods are only worth $150? You brat, you'll have to pay more later!"

The two exchanged contact information and left the "young beauty" with a sigh of relief. Living in the lower echelons of New York's jungle, every penny was hard-earned. Like a lowly blade of grass, struggling to compete for the meager sunlight and rain filtering through the leaves of tall trees, it would only ever grow to a mere three inches tall.

However, Li Wei knew that he was like a vine that had climbed up a big tree, and he would strive to climb all the way up to the highest point, to the place where he could enjoy the sunshine and moonlight and be as high as the birds.

Back home, Li Wei gave half of the $1000 he had received to Chen Lihua, saying he would give her the rest later. Chen Lihua was worried because Li Wei had been gone for so long, but seeing that he had managed to get $500 back, she felt that her son had really grown up.

Li Manshun quietly asked Li Wei if he could give him a smaller amount of the $1200. Li Wei glared at him and said, "If you try to bargain again, double the amount." Li Manshun was like a wilted eggplant and obediently handed over $1200 to his son, keeping $800 for himself as his secret stash.

With that, Li Wei now had $1700, plus his existing savings, totaling over $2000. He was still short $1000, but he wasn't worried. He knew that if he got the contract tomorrow, even if he didn't receive a penny, Luo Ping would give him the medicine, and he would pay him when he got his salary.

If he didn't get the contract, he'd move on to another team to collect the debt, until he got $3000, while simultaneously preparing for the next team's tryout. That evening, Uncle Davis sent him a message saying that the Westchester Knicks also had tryouts, and he could give it a try if he had the chance.

Opportunities will always be there; the key is to be prepared.

Before going to bed that night, Li Yue kept asking Li Wei questions, such as how the daytime trial went and how he got the money from "Young Beauty".

"Wow, that Korean woman is really pretty, with a great figure and a mature look. She's way more attractive than those chubby girls at school. Hey, bro, is she seeing someone who likes you?"

"Hmm? Hmm... Hmm..." Li Wei had no interest in listening to what his younger brother was saying. He lay down and fell asleep quickly.

He slept soundly through the night, waking up promptly at 5 a.m. Just like yesterday, Li Wei did not experience any nightmares related to his identity or past.

He jumped out of bed, full of energy. He washed his face and brushed his teeth, went downstairs to take Ah Zhong for a morning run, and then made himself a hearty breakfast when they got home. After eating, he opened the shop's shutter, and the morning sunlight shone on his face as he breathed in the cool air—it felt wonderful.

At 9:00 AM, my phone vibrated with a text message: "Dear Mr. Victor Lee, you have passed the Long Island Nets' tryout and are about to be eligible to sign a contract. Please keep your phone accessible. Our staff will contact you to discuss the specifics. Thank you."

"Yes! Yes!"

Upon seeing the text message, Li Wei clenched his fist and shouted twice in delight. Uncle Hong, who was smoking at the counter, asked in surprise, "What's wrong? Did you successfully confess to the girl?"

“That was a tragedy, Uncle Hong.”

(End of this chapter)