People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 74 Have You Ever Seen a Dragon? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Riverdale, Bronx.

Anya lay on the pink princess bed, rolling around on it with her phone in hand, unable to find a comfortable angle.

Her finger had been hovering over the phone screen for a long time, tapping the chat box, typing, deleting, and repeating the cycle.

Congratulations on being number 1 in the US! I knew you could do it.

No, no, that would make me seem like the kind of cheap girl who only latches onto others after they've succeeded.

Hey! How have you been lately?

That won't work either. Won't that make him think I don't care about his news at all?

Thinking about this, Anya's heart felt like it was being swept away by the autumn wind on the Hudson Bridge outside, and she couldn't sort it out no matter what.

Her long, straight legs kicked unconsciously in the air, and the pink silk sheets were crumpled from her rolling around.

"Ugh, so annoying!" She covered her face with her pillow, trying to suffocate herself. "No, what should I say?"

After hesitating for a long time, she suddenly came up with a brilliant idea.

She opened Li Wei's chat window, typed a "?" and sent it, then quickly closed the chat window. Unconsciously, she opened Instagram and kept scrolling through the posts and content, trying to distract herself.

It was already 3 a.m., and she had originally thought that Li Wei would not reply until the next morning, or even that he would not reply at all! After all, he had never sent her a message on his own initiative, so it was normal for her to feel confused.

But the next second, her phone screen emitted a faint light; a message had arrived!

Anya clicked on it almost instinctively, only realizing it was an encrypted plugin from JPMorgan Private Bank when she saw that it was a third-quarter settlement notification from her Swiss offshore trust account. Her trust had once again transferred $2,150,000 into her JPMorgan Territory Card account.

"What kind of money would come at a time like this..."

"6

Anya pouted in disappointment; this was not the reply she had expected.

However, a few seconds later, the screen lit up again, and this time she could see clearly that it was Li Wei's picture!

Li Wei: ?

Li Wei: Did I press the wrong button?

Anya bit her white little tiger teeth, picked up her phone, and her fingers flew across the screen.

Anya: Who pressed the wrong button! I just wanted to congratulate you on becoming number 1 in the United States.

Li Wei: Thank you. It's just a ranking compiled by a few organizations, it's nothing.

He's so humble!

Anya: What are your plans for the weekend?

Li Wei: Weekend? I don't have any plans right now, but I might take a trip around the city.

Anya was secretly pleased to see the words "nothing planned," but she refused to budge an inch with her hands (and words).

Anya: That's quite a coincidence. I have something very important to do this weekend, so I'll probably be very busy.

She felt a little regretful after sending it, wondering if it made her seem like she was showing off. Just as she was about to retract it, she discovered that Li Wei had already read the message.

Li Wei: ?

Li Wei: Are you just here late at night to brag to me about how you had a fulfilling weekend? Well, congratulations!

In the spacious apartment in Riverdale, Anya was so angry that she sat up straight in bed, grabbed a plush toy, and punched it twice.

Anya: I mean... if you're free, there's an art museum opening in Brooklyn this weekend. I'm not really keen on going, but my college counselor suggested I visit more charity events or art exhibitions, and try to create some myself to enhance my resume, which would help me get into a good university, um...

Li Wei had originally planned to explore New York City thoroughly over the weekend, but then he suddenly remembered that he hadn't been to any art galleries or similar places yet, which might unlock new locations and missions.

The above-described thought process was actually an excuse Li Wei made for himself. Being approached by such a beautiful girl as Anya, Li Wei couldn't bring himself to refuse; after all, she was stunningly beautiful.

Li Wei: When?

Anya replied almost instantly, telling him to be ready on Saturday afternoon, as her driver would pick him up.

Li Wei: OK.

After seeing Li Wei's reply, Anya tossed her phone aside, grabbed the giant plush toy beside her, let out a satisfied sigh, and fell into a deep sleep.

"You mean Mr. Stanford wants to give me the job of decorating the community for Halloween?"

When Quixote awoke in the Second Heaven, Livy told him about it.

He simply said that he ran into Mr. Stanford when he went out for a walk to clear his head, and then they had a brief chat.

"Yes, I told him," Levi nodded. "Although this isn't your main business, can you handle this kind of work? I feel the profit margin should be quite high, otherwise Italians, being part of the Mafia, wouldn't be doing this so honestly."

"A considerable profit?" Don Quixote scoffed. "The profit margin here is enormous."

"He must be in a real hurry," he said. "Halloween is less than a month away."

"It's really urgent," Li Wei said after thinking for a moment. "Seeing him drinking strong tea in the middle of the night, it seems he's thinking about this very issue."

“That’s right, because if he doesn’t do his job well, he might be voted out of his position as chairman of the homeowners’ association,” Don Quixote said. “Middle-class communities like Bell Ridge value and need to maintain their dignity the most.”

"The lights need to be bright enough, the decorations need to be plentiful enough, the skull needs to be big enough—as long as everything looks glamorous and goes viral in newspapers and on social media, driving up property prices here, that's enough," he said, getting more and more excited. "And the real profits in this business aren't in there. Besides making a fortune from buying these decorations, these things are consumables," meaning that even if I say they're scrapped after this year, I might be able to sell them again next year."

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and circled the room several times before speaking again: "Mr. Stanford must be taking a kickback in the middle," he said. "I have to find out how many percentage points he usually takes in this line of work, or I'll get ripped off."

After saying that, he left in a hurry, a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Don't forget to order from the Chinese website," Li Wei said, swallowing his protein shake. "The stuff on Amazon and TEMU is expensive and not very good."

"I understand," said Don Quixote. "Once I actually close this deal, I'll need your help to negotiate the price."

"Remember to pay me the agency fee—"

'

Before Livy could finish speaking, Don Quixote rushed out the door as if he hadn't heard a word.

"Old man," Li Wei muttered, "I'll take the subway to school today... see if I can refresh the list of tasks."

When he first arrived, Li Wei took the subway quite a few times to get to his part-time job on the Upper East Side. The old, damp, and dirty environment of the New York subway gave him a rather negative impression of it.

But there was no other way now. In order to trigger the mission, he could only head towards the 95th Street station on Bell Ridge.

"Let's explore somewhere else next time," Li Wei thought.

The R subway car in New York City reeked of stale urine and musty air conditioning. Li Wei was leaning against the graffiti-covered door, searching for a powerful figure who could trigger a mission.

I've already ridden for 5 stops, and I'm only 2 more stops away from getting off the subway.

When the subway reached 36th Street, the crowd at the originally crowded car doors seemed to part quickly to both sides as if by unspoken agreement, and an elderly white man wearing a worn-out military green coat walked in.

His hair was gray and greasy, and instead of taking a begging paper cup, he was holding a Bible that was as thick as a brick.

"Doomsday! Doomsday is near!"

As soon as the old man stood still, he roared in a loud voice that was completely out of character for his withered body. His eyes were wide open, and his pupils contracted like pinpoints as he scanned everyone in the carriage.

"A great flood! A great flood is coming! The gates of the abyss have been opened!"

"You sleep in greed! You rot in lust! Unaware that an eye is watching you!"

Most of the passengers around rolled their eyes, some put on their headphones, and others turned away.

You often encounter these crazy people who preach about the end of the world in the New York subway. Their numbers are only slightly fewer than the black guys who dance in public squares, and they are even more difficult to communicate with than the black guys.

Just as Li Wei was about to turn around like the others, the task panel popped up:

You encountered: a heretic.

They are corrupted by evil, tirelessly conveying their view of the world to humanity, even though they believe they have received divine revelation and have been sent to save mankind.

[Mission: Dispel/Purify Heretics]

[Task Reward: +0.1 Free Attribute Points]

finally come!

After seeing the mission, Li Wei subconsciously exchanged another glance with the crazy old man.

When the whole class looks down, and you and the teacher make eye contact, you should know that you're likely to be called on.

The mad old man walked towards Li Wei. Upon seeing this, everyone frowned and took a step back to protect Li Wei in front of them.

He approached Li Wei, his withered fingers almost touching Li Wei's nose: "Young man!" he shouted, "I see the confusion in your eyes! The devil is right beside you, can you feel it? They are whispering, tempting..."

"Indeed," Li Wei thought for a moment, then punched his palm. "What you said makes a lot of sense!"

"Huh?" The mad old man was taken aback; this was the first time anyone had spoken to him directly. "Right? You think so too?"

“That’s right,” Li Wei nodded seriously, “They even asked me yesterday if I wanted to apply for a credit card with an annual interest rate of 30%, it’s just too evil.”

The old man froze, his prepared words hanging in the air: "Wh...what?"

"Besides," Li Wei shrugged, "don't you think what you're saying is too monotonous? About the Great Flood and Hell and stuff?"

"You..." The old madman's pale face flushed red. "What do you know? Have you ever seen hell? Have you ever seen a dragon? You—"

"Of course I've seen it," Li Wei interrupted him preemptively. "I just came back from hell, otherwise how would I know?"

"6

..Neuropathy."

The old man stared blankly at Li Wei for a moment, then turned and walked away without looking back, shaking his head as he went.

[Mission: Expelling/Purifying Heretics Completed]

[Reward: +0.1 Free Attribute Point]

When the subway arrived at the station, Li Wei shrugged and stepped out of the carriage.

As soon as he stepped out of the train carriage and his phone signal was restored, several missed calls popped up on his phone screen.

Li Wei saw that there were calls from Coach Miller, scout Wen Si, and the principal of Franklin High School.

What's going on here?

Li Wei took out his phone and called them back one by one.

"Hello, Mr. Wens?" he said. "This is Li Wei. What can I do for you?"

"Mr. Levi?" Wen Si said, "You haven't arrived at school yet, have you?"

Li Wei looked at the main building of Franklin High School not far away, paused, and said, "Not yet. What's wrong? Coach Miller and the principal both called me."

"That's right," Wen Si, the scout, said, "because although you're not well-known to the public right now, some professional agencies have already noticed you and want to sign you for endorsements and licensing deals in advance."

"Isn't this a good thing for me?" Li Wei said as he walked towards the school. "Does this mean they'll try to lower the price for me?"

"Yes, although your current offer is higher than that of an average high school student, it's nothing compared to your future," Wen Si's voice was particularly serious. "In a few months, you'll be performing at the All-American Bowl, and you'll soar to new heights. Those trash agents will just use tens of thousands of dollars in advance to lock up the value of your name and image rights in the future."

"Tom Brady's NIL is worth over $500 million," he said. "I believe you can withstand this temptation. Okay, I have to deal with those colleagues who are trying to find out your fitness test data. See you later."

Li Wei hung up the phone and had just stepped through the small door when he sensed that something was off.

Several unfamiliar vehicles from outside the school were parked in front of the main building, and they were all high-end cars such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

Before he even stepped into the teaching building, the principal's secretary, Laura, who always wore her skirt tightly, was already waiting at the intersection.

"Mr. Levi! Thank goodness you've finally arrived," Laura said with a broad smile. "Principal Herman is already waiting for you in his office, and there are a few other people who have come for you as well."

"Uh... Ms. Laura," Levi said, "if I remember correctly, I have class later, right?"

"You got A+ on all your calculus assignments. I'm sure missing one class won't affect your grades," Laura said, leading Levi towards the top floor without further ado. "Just like your talent for rugby, your talent for learning is equally amazing, isn't it?"

Travis and Craig happened to enter the teaching building as well.

Upon seeing Levi, Travis intended to greet him, but Levi stopped him.

Li Wei pointed at Laura, then at the door, indicating that someone was looking for him today and he needed to go with Laura. He said he would see her at the stadium later.

Travis suddenly realized, gave Levi an OK sign, and then patted his chest.

Once Levi and Laura's figures disappeared at the top of the stairs, Craig asked Travis curiously, "What were you two talking about just now?"

"Oh no!" Travis exclaimed. "Leevie's in trouble!"

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