American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

The two of them continued walking along the sideline, passing the Giants’ bench.

Li Wei reached out and touched the row of cold, metal folding chairs.

As Don Quixote walked, he thought about the expressions of the people at the negotiating table and suddenly broke into a smile.

"But you gotta admit," he said, looking at Li Wei, "the NFL took a huge hit this time."

"Uh-huh."

"The Hall of Fame has officially confirmed they’ll hold a special ceremony for you this August," he said, growing more and more excited. "You’ll be the first player in history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame while still an active player."

"It’s a three-year hiatus," Li Wei said with a shrug. "I wouldn’t exactly call myself an active player right now."

"If you’re not retired, you’re active. In any case, you’re the first in history," Don Quixote insisted.

Li Wei nodded slightly. This was something John Mara had fought for. Since the league was demanding he temporarily step away from the game, they had to give him the highest level of recognition in terms of honors; otherwise, the Giants would never have signed off on the deal.

Additionally, his jersey and related memorabilia would get their own dedicated exhibit in the Hall of Fame. To Li Wei, this wasn’t that big of a deal, but from Don Quixote’s expression, it was clearly a mark of incredible prestige.

"There’s another good thing," Li Wei said, stretching lazily. "You and Jin Heon can take a break now. You don’t have to worry about all those endorsement deals for a while."

"Fuck," Don Quixote sighed. "We spent nearly a month working on that Mercedes-Benz endorsement deal, and then it all just fell through at the end."

"But just think, Las Vegas is paying all the cancellation fees for the endorsement contracts in full," Li Wei said. "Doesn’t that make you feel a lot better?"

"True that," Don Quixote mused, then chuckled. "The good news is that Mercedes-Benz didn’t take back the G65 they gave you (Chapter 282). So we basically got it for free."

"Still, Las Vegas was way more decisive than Pepsi," Li Wei remarked. "The cancellation fees added up to 300 million USD, and they paid it without batting an eye."

"They’ll make that back from the betting on a single one of your playoff games," Don Quixote said, stopping and turning to face Li Wei. "You’ve got 150 million USD in cash about to hit your account. How are you planning to spend it?"

"Don’t I have to give you your 3% first?" Li Wei mused. "I haven’t thought about the rest yet. I mentioned before I wanted to do some investing, right? This money is perfect for that."

"I get a cut too?" Don Quixote raised an eyebrow in surprise. "That’s 4.5 million USD."

"Oh, so I don’t have to give you a cut," Li Wei said, as if it just dawned on him. "In that case, I’ll just—"

Don Quixote laughingly threw an arm around Li Wei’s shoulders and covered his mouth. "But since you already offered, all I can do is thank my generous boss!"

The two of them burst into laughter. "Let’s go," Li Wei said. "Let’s get Jin Heon and go get something to eat. I’m starving."

Since the three days of negotiations had all revolved around Li Wei, John Mara hadn’t fought for any benefits for his own team.

But that didn’t mean he just let it slide. Afterward, while having dinner with Li Wei, John Mara mentioned in passing that the Giants had also received a number of concessions, including additional draft picks, an annual 100 million USD subsidy from the NFL (funded by 5.5 million USD payments from 18 other teams), a special 30 million USD salary cap exemption that would allow them to sign two more top-tier players each year, and the rights to host at least two international games annually for the next five years, among other things.

During the meal, Don Quixote quietly disclosed that the total value of this compensation package was over 700 million USD. For Li Wei, the NFL’s concessions were mainly honorary, but for the Giants, it was a true bloodletting.

Although Li Wei didn’t know if the value was really that high, judging from John Mara’s expression, it probably wasn’t far from the truth.

million USD to the Giants, a 450 million USD cash payment to Li Wei from the NFL over three years, and 300 million USD in cancellation fees paid by Las Vegas. All in all, the total five-year expenditure from the NFL management, sponsors, and the gambling industry came to 1.45 billion USD.

Converted to Celestial Dynasty currency, that was over 10 billion. Talk about a bailout.

「Before they knew it, March had arrived.」

March in New York is a peculiar time of year.

The tail end of winter hadn’t fully retreated, yet spring was already impatiently poking its head out.

In Central Park, the oak and maple trees that had been bare all winter began to sprout minuscule buds on their branches. From a distance, it looked as if someone had sprinkled a layer of green powder over their crowns.

The ice on the Hudson River had already broken up, and chunks of it, large and small, floated on the surface, refracting a cold, sharp white light in the sun.

Occasionally, a few geese would skim across the water, letting out hideous honks that made the old folks walking their dogs along the riverbank look up.

On the streets of Manhattan, pedestrians had begun to shed their down jackets for trench coats and lighter jackets.

Coffee shops were putting their outdoor seating out again. And even though the wind would still chill you to the bone, this is what made New Yorkers a special breed: the second the temperature climbed above 41°F, it was spring, and sitting outside became a must.

Someone from Los Angeles would never understand that New Yorker mindset.

「March 2nd, a Sunday.」

Jin Heon stood inside a third-floor apartment in a red-brick building in the West Village. She placed her hands on her hips and took a deep breath.

Outside the window was a quiet little street lined with pear trees that had yet to blossom. Across the way were a small independent bookstore and an Italian bakery that looked like it had been there for many years.

"This is it," she said, nodding in satisfaction. "After searching for two weeks, this is the one."