American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

Jessica had never imagined, not even at Coachella or any other concert, that a wave of sound could feel almost tangible.

This wasn’t even the Super Bowl, but an NFL championship game.

The New York Giants versus the Kansas City Chiefs.

They emerged from a side door of the VIP entrance, finding themselves at the very top of the stadium’s lower bowl. From here, the entire oval stadium looked like a giant cauldron, and roiling within it were 82,500 feverish people.

The stands were a dense tapestry of interwoven blue and red. The Giants fans waved blue towels and thundersticks, unleashing a unified, deafening roar that felt like a tidal wave.

A pre-game hype video played on the massive LED screens in the distance—featuring both Li Wei and Mahomes. Every time a touchdown was shown on screen, the entire stadium erupted in a deafening cheer.

Jessica and Xiuyan had to keep their mouths agape to relieve the pressure on their eardrums.

They had seen games broadcast on TV, but what came through the screen wasn’t even in the same league as standing here in person.

The TV volume turned to maximum was still just noise. What enveloped them now was a physical vibration that traveled from the soles of their feet all the way to the crowns of their heads.

"Oh my god." Park Su-yeon’s voice was swallowed by the roar, leaving only the movement of her lips.

This wasn’t Jin Heon’s first time here, but she still felt a moment of vertigo as the door swung open.

"Let’s go," she shouted, leaning close to Jessica and Xiuyan’s ears. "Our seats are at the very top!"

She pointed upward.

Jessica and Xiuyan followed her gaze and finally took in the stadium’s structure. Above the lower bowl of regular seats, there were two more levels. The very top one was encircled by a dark glass curtain wall, forming a stark line of demarcation from the clamor below.

Judging by appearances alone, that top level looked considerably more expensive than the regular stands.

That was the VIP suite level.

To get from where they were to the suites at the top, they had to climb level by level up the public staircases inside the stadium.

This was clearly by design, as the path took them right through the general admission sections.

The three of them started up the stairs, which were flanked by dense crowds of fans. Every one of them was bundled in thick winter coats, their breath forming white puffs in the air. They wore gloves and clinked cups of beer with their neighbors. Some were livestreaming on their phones, their noses frozen red. Others had their faces painted blue and wore absurd wigs, shivering from the cold every so often.

Jin Heon led the way, moving with the practiced ease of someone who knew the route. Her pace was steady. She had already scanned the VIP family pass that hung around her neck, and a security detail fell in behind them, keeping a discreet but safe distance.

At the landing for each new level, a velvet rope and a security guard in a black suit blocked the stairs.

The guard would scan Jin Heon’s pass before unhooking the rope to let them through.

Each time the rope was unhooked, the fans in the nearby seats would stare with a mixture of curiosity and envy.

The first time it happened, Jessica subconsciously straightened her posture.

The second time, Jessica smoothed her hair and adjusted her collar.

By the third time, Jessica’s back was ramrod straight and her chin was slightly raised. She pinched her brand-new iPhone between her fingertips with an air of casual nonchalance, as if she frequented such places.

Park Su-yeon, however, was completely oblivious, clinging to Jin Heon’s arm and letting out little gasps of excitement.

Just as they reached the landing between the second and third levels, Jin Heon suddenly slowed her pace.

The landing had a small public rest area with a few high-top tables and vending machines. There were also concession stands selling hot dogs, beer, donuts, and other snacks, plus more merchandise shops. A number of fans were taking a break there.

Next to one of the high-top tables, a chubby Asian man in an LV tracksuit covered in logos was filming his surroundings with his phone. Standing near him, a tall, blonde, blue-eyed woman cradled a cup of beer.

Gao Ping and Emily.

"Gao Ping?" Jin Heon recognized him as her boss’s friend whom she’d met at dinner once. "Are you and your girlfriend here for the game, too?"

"Miss Jin!" Gao Ping lowered his phone, a wide smile spreading across his chubby face. "You’re here, too?"

"Yes," Jin Heon nodded, glancing at Emily beside him. "Where are your seats?"

"We were a bit late getting tickets," Gao Ping said sheepishly, pointing to the stands behind them. "Section 200, a little above the middle. Even the scalper tickets are going for over 1,500 USD now."

"You didn’t ask the boss for tickets?" Jin Heon asked, curious.

"I didn’t want to bother Brother Li Wei. He’s a huge star, after all. It’s no problem for me to just buy my own," Gao Ping said, scratching his head bashfully.

Jin Heon nodded in understanding. After offering Emily a lukewarm greeting, she continued on her way up.

The three of them continued up the stairs, the voices of Gao Ping and Emily behind them gradually swallowed by the noisy crowd.

Once they were out of earshot, Jessica suddenly leaned close to Jin Heon’s ear.

"Heon," she said in a low voice, "Were those two a couple?"

"Yes."

"That woman seems like a total gold digger," Jessica said with a frown. "I got a peek at her social media just now—not a single picture of him. And the way she was standing, it was like she was trying to pretend she didn’t know him."

Jin Heon just smiled, neither confirming nor denying it.

"It’s their relationship, after all. It’s not our place to get involved."

After they passed through the final checkpoint, a blast of warm air washed over them.

The world behind the door was entirely different from the one they’d left. The hallway lighting was soft and warm, and the fragrant air was a world away from the smell of hot dogs and beer outside.

The corridor wasn’t crowded, but every person there looked like someone important.

"Why don’t you two go check out the common area first," Jin Heon said, stopping and pointing to an area off to the right. "That’s the public viewing lounge for the VIP level. Buffet, drinks, big screens, sofas... you can socialize and get something to eat over there. It’s all complimentary."

"Aren’t you coming with us?" Park Su-yeon asked.

"I need to pop into the family suite to say hello to the manager and the others," Jin Heon said with an apologetic smile. "They’re all part of the boss’s team. You two go on ahead, I’ll come find you later."

"Go on, handle your business," Jessica said, holding Xiuyan back. "We’ll wait for you around here."

Jin Heon walked to the end of the hall and pushed open the door to Li Wei’s suite.

The suite was about four or five hundred square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the center of the field. Huge leather sofas were arranged in several groupings around marble coffee tables, which were laden with all sorts of drinks and platters of hors d’oeuvres.

Don Quixote was leaning against the bar, shooting the breeze with two middle-aged men while a bartender busily mixed drinks behind the counter. Chen Haisheng stood beside them.

Being younger, Chen Haisheng couldn’t really get a word in and was mostly just listening to the three of them talk.

Jin Heon recognized the two middle-aged men. One was Mark Davis, who seemed to be an old acquaintance of Don Quixote’s.

The other was named Arthur. She’d heard he was once a senior partner at a real estate law firm who had ended up homeless before Li Wei found him by chance and took him in.

As she passed by, bag in hand, she could just overhear their bantering conversation.

"It’s rare to meet someone like Arthur who understands land zoning laws and is also familiar with federal compliance reviews..."

"I merely did some of the foundational work..."

On a sofa in the back of the suite, Jin Heon saw Anya and Elizabeth.

The two were sitting side-by-side, Anya with her head tilted as she spoke to Elizabeth.

The two women greeted Jin Heon when they saw her.

After making her rounds, Jin Heon grabbed a bottle of Perrier from the bar. After a moment’s thought, she walked over to a lone armchair not far from Anya and Elizabeth and sat down.

Rather than discuss business, she was more interested in hearing what Elizabeth and Anya were talking about.

She was positioned about six feet away from them—not too close, but not too far either.

Close enough to overhear their conversation, but not so close that it would look deliberate.

As she put on her headphones, she discreetly turned off the noise-canceling feature and switched on voice enhancement.

"...You didn’t come with your housekeeper today?" Elizabeth asked casually.

"No," Anya said, taking a sip of her drink. "She’s busy. My father has some things going on in Moscow lately, so she’s been going back often to help."

"Doesn’t that mean you’re living alone, then? Is it safe?" Elizabeth asked.

"No," Anya said brightly. "I’ve been staying with Li Wei a lot recently, so it’s fine."

Jin Heon’s finger, which had been scrolling through her email, paused for a moment.

Elizabeth paused, twirling the glass in her hand with her fingertips.

"Speaking of which..." Elizabeth changed tack. "Li Wei’s been pretty busy since school started. You two are still able to stay together often?"

"He’s definitely busy, especially with the Super Bowl," Anya said, shaking her head. "But it’s like he never gets tired. That’s what I admire most about him. Unlike me—after a day of shopping, I feel like I could sleep for sixteen hours."

"So, how is your... you know?" Elizabeth suddenly leaned in and asked in a hushed voice.

Anya’s face instantly flushed crimson. She gave Elizabeth a light punch on the arm and muttered something in Russian that Jin Heon couldn’t understand.

Then she made a gesture with her hand. Although Jin Heon didn’t know what it meant, Elizabeth clearly did, because she let out a small gasp.

"For real?" Elizabeth covered her mouth. "How is that... different from what’s considered normal?"

"Oh, honestly," Anya said, flustered and impatient. "If you’re so curious, why don’t you go find out for yourself someday?"

"Really?" Elizabeth asked, also joking. "Would you be okay with that?"