American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

The dust finally settled on all the handovers and the division of power on the morning of this Christmas holiday.

Two in the afternoon.

The sky, washed clean by the storm, was a brilliant blue. Sunlight spilled across the snow blanketing the Long Island Manor, refracting into a dazzling glare.

Several helicopters stood ready to fly back to New York at a moment's notice.

Since Timothy Mellon and Phoenix Mellon had already left the manor, the other guests, one by one, also requested to depart.

Alexander didn't force anyone to stay. It seemed that to him, things like Christmas gifts, familial affection, and family gatherings were all unimportant. The sole purpose of this Christmas party had been to consolidate and redistribute power before the launch of the Free Port, and nothing more.

Li Wei and Elizabeth walked side-by-side toward the helicopter.

"Is everything taken care of?" Li Wei asked, wearing a pair of noise-canceling headphones. He turned his head to look at the radiant Elizabeth.

"All taken care of!" Elizabeth shouted back over the whistling cold wind, her smile brighter than the winter sun.

After an announcement from the pilot, the helicopter lifted off smoothly. Li Wei looked out the window as the Mellon Manor, as vast as a kingdom, gradually shrank amidst the sea of white below.

Elizabeth pulled her gaze from the view below and let out a long sigh. She turned to Li Wei. "Leaving that oppressive place... the very air feels fresher. What about you? The regular season is almost over. What are your plans?"

Li Wei mentally ran through his to-do list. "Honestly, things won't be slowing down for me."

"First, I have to move. I've got 14 million USD from commercial endorsements that I need to convert into commercial real estate," he said after a moment of thought. "It's also near Long Island, just nowhere near as big as your family's estate. I expect to have that sorted out a couple of days after Christmas."

"That's hardly my home," Elizabeth said with a light laugh. "My grandfather won't be leaving this estate to my father when he passes."

"Okay, okay," Li Wei said. "Then there's getting the sports drink into production. Even though Coca-Cola's production line has an opening, I still need to oversee the blind taste tests and mass production. After that, there are the last few games of the regular season, and then the playoffs."

Hearing Li Wei's packed schedule, Elizabeth sighed. "Looks like neither of us is getting a relaxing holiday."

"Taking over the Free Port is a huge undertaking, too," she said, sounding a little overwhelmed. "Grandfather's focus will mostly remain on the foundation, so I have to work with Silvia on the legal documents for the offshore tax haven, inject the previous one billion USD of bridge financing into the shell company in Delaware, and assemble a new management committee..."

"But!" She paused, her azure eyes fixed on Li Wei as she stressed, "But if you run into any trouble—I mean, any trouble at all—call me. Anytime, for anything."

Li Wei looked at her earnest expression and suddenly smiled. "Alright," he said. "No problem."

The helicopter landed smoothly at the East 34th Street Heliport in Manhattan. The two said their goodbyes on the helipad, and Li Wei got into a Cadillac arranged by the Mellon Family, which drove him all the way back to his Fortress City Apartments.

Pushing open the apartment door, Li Wei was greeted by a stark and lonely quiet.

The place was empty. Don Quixote had taken Lily to see Mickey Mouse in Orlando, Florida.

Anya was still skiing in Courchevel, Europe, and probably wouldn't fly back to New York for another two days.

Li Wei didn't want to bother Chen Haisheng, either. Though he knew Chen Haisheng would help with anything he asked, Li Wei didn't really have anything to do, and he felt bad about the idea of interrupting the man's date with his childhood sweetheart.

He walked to the kitchen island and poured himself a glass of ice water.

Being alone in the spacious apartment, while quiet, felt a little *too* quiet.

Li Wei sat down on the sofa, his gaze suddenly landing on several PR proposals on the coffee table.

Jin Heon had left them there.

'Well, since I'm not doing anything,' he thought, 'I might as well ask her what she's up to.'

Li Wei took out his phone and dialed Jin Heon's number.

The phone barely rang twice before it was quickly answered. The sound of a siren starting up could be heard in the background.

"Good afternoon... Boss," her voice came through. "Merry Christmas. Is everything alright?"

"Nothing urgent," Li Wei said, taking a sip of his ice water. "I'm back in New York. Do you have time to go over the promotion timeline for the sports drink?"

"Uhm... yes, I can," Jin Heon hesitated. "But could we do it around dinner? I'm a little busy right now... I'm so sorry."

"It's nothing," Li Wei chuckled. "You haven't done anything wrong. It's a holiday, after all. I should be the one apologizing."

"No, no, no," Jin Heon said, flustered. "You don't need to apologize, Boss. This is all part of my job... Um, so, I'll see you tonight?"

"See you tonight," Li Wei said. "Call me when you're finished."

"Okay, okay," Jin Heon said. "Goodbye, Boss."

Even so, she waited for Li Wei to hang up before ending the call herself.

She was currently squatting on a street corner in Manhattan's TriBeCa district, heedless of her image as she wolfed down an already-cold tuna sandwich from a convenience store.

It was just past four-thirty in the afternoon, but the sky over New York was already growing dark.

The streetlights and colorful Christmas lights flickered on one by one, bathing the cold, empty street in a warm, yellow glow.