Chapter 161: Chapter 105: First Piece of Equipment

After all the commotion, by the time Li Wei finally settled into the private car back to the hotel, it was already close to 10:00 PM.

Outside the car window, the San Antonio nightscape sped past.

Li Wei leaned back against the leather seat and let out a long sigh.

While his body, blessed with a 3.0 constitution, didn’t feel tired, the high-intensity schmoozing was more mentally draining than playing an actual game.

He took out his phone. The screen displayed dozens of unread messages: a congratulatory video from Anya, a congratulatory text from Elizabeth, and various other messages from friends, both close and not so close.

Li Wei prioritized replying to Anya and the others, then simply ignored all the messages from people he didn’t know well.

Only after taking care of all that did he finally have the energy and time to check his championship reward.

[Congratulations, Knight Li Wei. You have achieved the highest honor obtainable in this level bracket.]

[Reward: High-Rarity Equipment: Ring of Smooth Sailing]

Li Wei shot up from his seat, carefully examining the dialogue box before him.

[Item Description: A ring jointly forged by dwarves, elves, and a Demigod, cast from Dawn Gold, and blessed by the pontiff of the Goddess of Fortune. This ring does not grant its wearer immense combat power, nor does it drastically alter the holder’s destiny. Instead, it bestows small, timely strokes of good luck in the trivial details of daily life.]

[Equip Effect: Grants the holder a minor amount of good luck in daily life.]

[Evaluation: A very rare piece of luck-enhancing equipment.]

A thought flickered in Li Wei’s mind, and a glittering gold ring, radiating a faint light, materialized in his hand.

He glanced over and saw that the staff from the event film crew sitting nearby weren’t looking his way at all.

He slipped the ring onto his left middle finger and then recorded a short video of his hand.

Even though he could clearly see the ring on his hand, the video showed his hand was bare.

Relieved, Li Wei closed the camera app and opened his messenger. He politely declined Trevor’s invitation to a post-game party, planning to go out for a nice meal with Don Quixote and Lily to unwind. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

After all, they hadn’t seen each other in a week, and Li Wei was eager for Don Quixote and Lily’s approval.

However, his plans were derailed once again as he was getting out of the car.

Before he could even enter the hotel lobby, a group of men in suits and baseball caps surrounded the vehicle.

"If this is an interview, I’m off the clock," Li Wei said, rolling down the window to face the middle-aged white man before him. "If it’s a drug test, I just took a piss."

"Neither. It’s about... the recent ’taste survey’ issue in the kitchen," the man said, lowering his voice with some embarrassment. "A senior executive director from the NCAA organizing committee would like to see you. He’s in the hotel’s executive conference room."

Li Wei raised an eyebrow.

’A taste survey requires a senior executive director from the NCAA? He’s probably referring to those unlucky chefs who tried to drug me, only to end up with diarrhea so bad they were hospitalized for dehydration.’

’Looks like the NCAA folks might be slow on the uptake, but they’re sure quick to cover their asses.’

"Alright," Li Wei said, getting out of the car. "Lead the way."

In a conference room, Li Wei met one of the masterminds behind the plot against him: an older man with graying hair and gold-rimmed glasses.

"Good evening, son. Congratulations on winning dual MVPs and proving your worth to everyone," the old man said, rising to his feet with a kindly smile plastered on his face. "I am the Vice Chairman of the NCAA Alliance’s Bowl Game Coordination Committee. You can call me Davidson."

"Mr. Davidson," Li Wei said without sitting down. He stood by the door, his gaze scrutinizing the man. "I doubt you sought me out this late just to congratulate me on my victory, did you?"

"Of course, it’s to congratulate you, but there’s also a small misunderstanding that needs to be cleared up," Davidson said, gesturing to the chair opposite him. "Please, sit. We don’t have much time."

Li Wei pulled out the chair and sat down, his posture relaxed, showing no signs of being intimidated by the powerful man before him.

"Let’s get straight to it," Li Wei said. "We’re all busy."

"Straight to the point, I like it," Davidson said, his smile fading as he gently tapped his fingers on the table. "We’ve been made aware that earlier this week, there were some... unfortunate incidents regarding hygiene management in the hotel’s food and beverage department. While they didn’t cause you any material harm, as the organizers, we are deeply sorry."

’He knows that I know they tried to drug me,’ Li Wei thought.

’They must have investigated thoroughly and found out that I ate the doctored steak but had no adverse reaction. Now they think I know the NCAA was targeting me.’

"A ’hygiene management incident’?" Li Wei repeated with pointed emphasis. "A major issue with an athlete’s food... if that got out, the fallout would be significant. Broadly speaking, couldn’t one say that the NCAA doesn’t care about the health and diet of its athletes at all?"

The corner of Davidson’s eye twitched, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Young man, you must choose your words carefully. It was merely an operational error by two temporary chefs. They have been fired and have covered the associated medical costs," Davidson said. "The NCAA has always been committed to protecting the health of our athletes and ensuring a fair competitive environment."

At this, he paused. From under the table, he produced a dark-green wooden box and slowly pushed it across to Li Wei.

"This is a small, personal gift from the committee, to commend you for your astonishing performance in the All-American Bowl, and as a gesture of apology for the ’scare’ you received during the event."

Davidson rested his hand on the box, giving Li Wei a meaningful look.

"Of course, we hope this can also represent a new friendship between us. As for any... unpleasantness, let’s just leave it to the San Antonio winds, shall we?"

Li Wei looked at the box.

There was no logo, but from the grain of the wood and its substantial weight, it was clearly no ordinary object.

"May I see what it is first?" he asked, looking at Davidson. "I come from a poor family. I’ve never seen such fine things."

"Of course," Davidson said, full of confidence. "Be my guest."

Li Wei opened the box. Under the bright lights of the conference room, a dazzling glint of gold struck his eyes.

It was a watch.

Unlike the rounded, refined elegance of a Rolex, this watch was all industrial angles and aggressive aesthetics. An octagonal bezel, exposed screws, and a body that flowed with the lavish gleam of Gold and diamonds.

A Royal Oak Offshore, the all-Gold model.

"The market price for this watch on the secondary market is over 150,000 USD," Davidson said. "And it’s incredibly hard to come by. It has significant potential to appreciate in value. I hope you find it satisfactory, Mr. Li Wei."

’I’d rather they just transfer the 150,000 USD to my account,’ Li Wei sighed inwardly. ’But of course, they can’t do that. A direct money trail is too easy to expose.’

He wasn’t worried about the legality of the gift, though. Davidson and John Mara would have surely taken care of any potential issues before giving him the watch.

But in his opinion, a mechanical watch like this wasn’t even as useful as an Apple Watch. At least an Apple Watch didn’t lose or gain more than ten seconds a day.

The Rolex that John Mara had given him was already running seven or eight minutes slow, and besides, he rarely had an occasion to wear a watch.

He’d only learned later that you either had to wear these kinds of watches constantly or keep them in a professional watch winder. Otherwise, they’d get magnetized or simply stop running. In short, they were incredibly finicky.

But regardless, it was a watch worth 150,000 USD. There was no reason for Li Wei to refuse it.

"Thank you, Mr. Davidson," Li Wei said, fastening the watch to his wrist. "I’m very satisfied."

He hoped this would be the end of the matter.

Otherwise, trying to sue the NCAA—a behemoth worth over five billion USD—would mean endless legal battles, exorbitant lawyer fees, and alienating the entire collegiate system. It was highly unlikely he’d get more substantial compensation than this watch.

Besides, he was about to skip the rest of the NCAA and go straight to the NFL. There was nothing to be gained from a bitter fight with these people.

Davidson visibly relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief. He stood up and extended his hand to Li Wei.

"A wise choice, Mr. Li Wei. I wish you all the best in your future professional career—if the rumors are true, that is."

he said, his words laden with implication.

"A pleasure doing business with you."

Li Wei took the old man’s hand and gave it a light shake.