People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Click to begin your wondrous journey in "A Man in America: My Uncle Don Quixote".

Martin paused for half a second, clearly not expecting the topic to turn to this.

He straightened his collar with a touch of arrogance and coughed twice: "I did spend a few years in Manhattan in my early years, at Greenhill, a boutique investment bank that focuses on mergers and acquisitions. You should have heard of it."

Don Quixote's lips curled into a playful smile after hearing this.

"Greenhill, it's really nice, small and beautiful," he said casually, toying with his wine glass as if he were chatting with Martin about the weather. "But I wasn't as lucky as you back then. I didn't get to enjoy life in a boutique investment bank like this. I spent many years at JPMorgan Chase, and it wasn't until I was around 30 that I finally got a position as an executive director."

Martin's smile froze.

In the financial world, JPMorgan Chase is practically the father of all investment banks, and its status as an investment bank is only rivaled by a handful of firms like Goldman Sachs.

The difference between a "boutique investment bank" and "JPMorgan Chase" is not only the size of their assets, but also an absolute hierarchy of power.

Don Quixote turned to Kim Ho-eun, "Kim, how's the data going?"

Kim Ha-eun's expression brightened, and she turned on her computer and quickly started typing on the keyboard.

"Mr. Martin, please look at the live feed," she said with a sweet smile. "In just three minutes since Levi scored the touchdown, the sales of Levi's number 1 blue jersey have almost reached the total sales of the Pirates!"

"So take back this contract, or letter of intent or whatever," Don Quixote said, crossing his legs. "I want two years, $15 million a year. Or, $18 million a year."

Martin looked at the documents on the table and suddenly understood why Don Quixote had guessed that he had worked on Wall Street before.

Pushing documents to two-thirds of their height is an unspoken rule that almost everyone who has worked in a Wall Street investment bank is trained to do.

In the industry, this is called "reaching out," and its purpose is to force the other party to slightly stand up to reach the contract. In psychological terms, this is a sign of initiative and weakness.

But now they're in a difficult situation.

"That's impossible," he looked up at the motionless Don Quixote, "the price is too high."

"I didn't bargain with you, child," Don Quixote stood up, walked to the French windows, and looked down at the jubilant 60,000 spectators below.

"This is Li Wei's current market price. Either you come up with a brand new draft that matches this figure and sign it."

He shrugged and downed his drink in one gulp: "Or, let's end this pleasant meeting here."

"We can schedule a time for each other again after this season ends, after Levi makes the playoffs, finishes the Super Bowl, and enters the offseason."

Kim Ho-eun glanced at Martin, who was about to break out in a sweat, and then at Don Quixote, who was strolling leisurely.

"We're about to win this game," Don Quixote pointed out the window, "we're going to be in the playoffs. Do you think he'll still be worth the price of a rookie quarterback after we make the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl?"

The rhythm is now completely in Don Quixote's hands.

Martin knew that Don Quixote had him by the ball, but there was nothing he could do about it.

The reason for choosing this time to come was to sign Li Wei while he was soaring to new heights and other major brands were still observing.

Right now, Levi is like a super bull stock that's still climbing. $1500 million is ridiculously expensive, but if Levi really steps onto the Super Bowl lawn and becomes an idol across America and even the world, then people would be scrambling to buy him even if the price doubles.

Another deafening cheer erupted outside the private room.

As the whistle blew for the first half, Joe Buck's voice echoed throughout the VIP box.

"If you went to the bathroom before halftime, you probably missed the craziest 30 minutes of the season," he yelled. "Is this an NFL game? Or is an NFL team beating up a high school?"

"12 of 15, 235 passing yards, 2 long passers, 1 40-yard rushing touchdown, 0 interceptions, 0 sacks," Troy chimed in. "Honestly, I think Levi was telling the Pirates' defense: You're too slow and too weak."

"This is Levi," Joe Buck concluded. "He's not here to compete; he's here to take over the city. The King of New York is now touring his new territory in Florida!"

...

Inside the VIP box, Martin listened to these comments and then glanced at the dark blue number 1 figure walking towards the players' tunnel through the floor-to-ceiling window.

He gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up.

Under Don Quixote's amused gaze, he took the initiative to step forward and pick up the contract that had been pushed aside.

"Two years, $15 million per year," he wrote in the margin of the draft contract, a figure that would make Kim Hoon faint, then signed his name. "Fully guaranteed, Mr. Don Quixote Cervantes, you're a real old bastard, worthy of being a Wall Street veteran."

"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mr. Martin," Don Quixote finally stood up, shook hands with Martin politely, and said, "I think you'll be proud of your decisiveness today."

Martin, looking grim, left the private room without a word, accompanied by two assistants. They needed to contact the legal department immediately to finalize the $3000 million formal contract.

As the heavy wooden door of the VIP box slammed shut behind Martin and his group, silence returned to the VIP box, with only the faint sounds of the stadium noise coming from outside the bulletproof glass.

"Excuse me, Mr. Don Quixote," Kim Ho-eun suddenly sprang up from the sofa like a spring, "I need to go to the bathroom."

Before Don Quixote could even nod, she had already scurried into the luxurious bathroom attached to the private room like a gust of wind, her high heels clicking as she locked the door shut.

The spacious bathroom is paved with expensive Italian marble, and the air is filled with a sophisticated woody fragrance.

Kim Ha-eun quickly finished using the restroom, walked to the sink, and stared intently at herself in the mirror while washing her hands.

The girl in the mirror had exquisite makeup on, and her natural face was no less beautiful than any idol who debuted in South Korea. Although she maintained a mature, capable, and cold demeanor during the negotiation, her mind was completely blank at this moment.

"$1500 for two years, which means this is a $3000 million deal..."

She looked in the mirror, her lips trembling as she calculated, "I'm the one who connected us with this deal. According to the contract, I get 1% of the annual contract amount, which is $15!!!"

"15 US dollars!!! That's incredible!!!" She covered her mouth and celebrated quietly.

To make sure she wasn't dreaming, or that she hadn't fallen asleep on that comfortable leather sofa outside and was still asleep, Kim Ha-eun reached out her right hand, ran it along her waist, and gave it a sharp twist.

"Hiss—Aigoo!"

After the pain subsided, a surge of overwhelming joy rushed to my head—it was real! Not a dream!

Good heavens! Kim Ha-eun has lived for almost 22 years, struggling her way up from a predominantly Korean-American neighborhood to New York University on a scholarship. She's always been incredibly frugal, meticulously managing every penny, even making her own coffee. She's never even dared to dream of seeing so much money in her entire life!

"I'm rich... This time I've really hooked up with a golden thigh..." Kim Ha-eun looked at herself in the mirror and finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, clutching her waist.

She quickly sent a message to her mother:

[Hoon]: Mom, I earned money today! I'll come home to see you as soon as I get paid. How about we have barbecue?

The faint sound of the second half kicking off could be heard outside the door. Kim Ha-eun immediately put away her phone, tidied her makeup, and then pushed open the door and went out.

The second half ended without any suspense.

[You led your knights to the beach where you encountered a group of pirates. Your heroic bearing left a lasting impression on them, and they no longer have the opportunity to plunder and pillage.]

You have exemplified the chivalrous virtue of "valor".

You have gained 0.1 attribute points.

Looking at the Tampa Bay pirates whom he had defeated and driven to despair, Li Wei accepted the system's praise as always.

As Li Wei walked toward the players' tunnel, enjoying the cheers from both sides, which were even mixed with those of the home team's fans, he watched as the [Chatty Court Jester Skull] jumped out alongside him.

The golden skull with its broken mouth was flashing rapidly in the rubies in its eye sockets. Its jaw was opening and closing wildly, and for the first time ever, it didn't spray its sharp and mean venom. Instead, it seemed to be in a state of cognitive dissonance.

[Gods above! This is utterly illogical! You, a half-baked knight who can't even do a proper sword flourish, why has your power become even more terrifying?]

The dialog box refreshed like a waterfall in front of Li Wei's retina:

[No need for arduous training, no need for meditation, not even need to search for potions at the edge of the abyss! Simply by beating those southern barbarians to a pulp on this very patch of grass, your soul and body are expanding in an unbelievable way! Are you the embodiment of the God of War on earth? Impossible! Even the greatest swordsman in the royal city cannot cross this insurmountable law!]

"I have a cheat code, are you stupid?" Li Wei was too lazy to argue with it and went back to the locker room to prepare for a shower.

Now I've collected another free attribute point, so I can take some time to upgrade it.

After taking a shower and changing into a well-tailored dark casual suit, Li Wei pushed open the door to the VIP room.

"Boss!" Kim Ha-eun hopped around like an excited little sparrow, "You're absolutely stunning!"

Don Quixote picked up the newly drafted contract, unable to suppress his smile: "Look at this, my big star. Two years, $15 million a year for a global endorsement, fully guaranteed. This is Kim's doing, and this is the price you deserve."

"A watch," Levi said, taking the contract. "Is it an exclusive?"

Rolex's endorsement fees must be astronomical.

"Well done," Li Wei glanced at the numbers and terms, "Today is a good day to indulge yourself."

He turned to Chen Haisheng and Jin He'en, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go, pack your things. We won't eat in Tampa Bay tonight; we're flying straight to Miami. We're going to have a seafood feast tonight, it's on me!"

Cheers erupted from the private room, and even Chen Haisheng smiled.

However, just as everyone had finished getting ready and Don Quixote had placed his hand on the doorknob of the box to leave, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Several burly bodyguards wearing tactical headsets were the first to enter the private room, followed by a middle-aged man in a dark casual polo shirt who strode in.

It was the same guy who was just eating a hot dog on the big screen—Florida Governor Ronald DeSantis.

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