Chapter 163: Chapter 106: Opportune Good Fortune and the Knight’s Code

"Looks like there are no spots in this row," Don Quixote said, craning his neck out the window. "How about I look for a spot and you get out first?"

The Cadillac Escalade was a full-sized SUV, and finding a parking spot was always a major headache.

This time, however, it seemed their luck was in. Just as Li Wei drove into a row of cars, a black Mercedes S-Class’s reverse lights came on and it slowly pulled out.

With quick hands and sharp eyes, Li Wei whipped the steering wheel, smoothly slipping the massive SUV into the newly vacant spot, leaving the BMW behind him to stare in helpless frustration.

"Woohoo!" Li Wei killed the engine and pulled out the key. "In on the first try."

Upon entering the training facility’s main gate, John Mara’s secretary, who had been waiting for them, jogged over to greet them.

"Mr. Li Wei! Mr. Cervantes!" The secretary glanced at her watch in surprise. "You’re so early! The boss is still in his morning meeting."

She led the two to a conference room door, intending for them to wait a moment while she went to get them some coffee.

As luck would have it, not a single minute was wasted. Just as the three of them reached the conference room, the door pushed open, and the Giants’ executives filed out one by one. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Head coach Brian Daboll, a big-boned redneck, walked straight over to Li Wei upon seeing him and shook his hand firmly.

He even reached out and squeezed Li Wei’s deltoid. "I’ve seen it in the videos countless times, but seeing you in person is still a shock. How in the world does your body Burst with such insane power?"

"Alright, Brian, you two will have plenty of time to get acquainted in the future," John Mara interrupted. "We have business to attend to."

For the next hour, Li Wei was in the Giants’ internal photo studio, where he changed into the deep blue home jersey the team had prepared for him, emblazoned with the number 1 and the name "Li."

Although the signing hadn’t been officially announced yet, these photos had to be taken now for internal records and future promotional materials.

"Turn to the side, look sharper—yes, just like the way you looked at that safety in the final quarter of the All-Star Bowl!" The photographer’s shutter clicked nonstop.

Li Wei held a football, posing for a throw or cradling his helmet and gazing into the distance. Don Quixote watched from the side, unable to resist sneaking a couple of photos with his phone before the PR director stopped him with a smile.

"These photos are top secret for now," John Mara said, sitting in a nearby chair with a glass of warm water, his dietary habits as strict as ever. "Li Wei, according to our prior agreement, while the letter of intent is signed, the official professional contract won’t become effective and be submitted to the league for registration until your 18th birthday—which is next month."

"Understood," Li Wei said, taking off his helmet and shaking his hair. "To stay compliant."

"It’s not just about compliance," Mara explained. "Although the previous non-disclosure agreement was effectively nullified when you won MVP, we don’t plan on making a big splash just yet."

He pointed to a calendar on the wall.

"It’s only early January, and the NFL playoffs are underway," he said. "If we build hype now, we won’t get enough attention."

"But at the end of March," he continued, his finger tapping the March section, "one month before the NFL Draft, all of America will be looking for the next new star. That’s when we’ll put major effort into promoting you."

Li Wei nodded, offering no opinion, and certainly didn’t try to teach an expert his own business.

Mara had given him the NFL’s number one contract—up to 200 million USD over two years—and he was more eager than anyone to build up the hype for Li Wei and the Giants.

"However, before all that begins," Mara said, his tone shifting as his expression grew serious, "Li Wei, you need an agent."

"An agent?" Li Wei paused, taken aback.

"Yes, a professional agent," Mara said. "Within 10 to 30 days of your contract becoming effective after you turn 18, you’ll immediately receive your first signing bonus. That’s a staggering five million USD before taxes—a huge sum for you right now. And that’s just the beginning. Then there’s commercial development, endorsements, taxes, asset management..."

"You need someone who understands finance, law, and the NFL’s rules to manage it all for you. Tom Brady has a team of over 20 people planning everything for him. I don’t want to see you end up like one of those nouveau riche players who earn a top salary but have no money to their name," he added. "And it’s best if it’s someone you trust."

Now that Li Wei was entering the professional arena, he would definitely need an agent to handle his affairs. And how much an agent earned depended entirely on the income of the player they represented.

A typical professional agent’s commission is 3%. That meant for Li Wei’s five-million-USD pre-tax signing bonus, the agent would take 150,000 USD.

If Li Wei managed to earn the full 200 million USD over two years, his agent could skim 6 million USD without lifting a finger.

’They might as well just kill me,’ Li Wei thought.

"I think I have someone in mind," he said, pointing to Don Quixote. "My uncle, Don Quixote Cervantes."

"My uncle used to be an executive director at JPMorgan Chase," he said with a shrug. "I believe he’d be an excellent choice."

"Then I trust in Mr. Cervantes’s professionalism," John Mara said. "He just needs to pass the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) agent certification exam within a month. Otherwise, you won’t be able to legally represent Li Wei in negotiations with the team, nor can you collect a commission from his contract. Even though you’re relatives, this procedure is necessary to avoid trouble with the Internal Revenue Service."

Don Quixote nodded and said, "I’m already preparing. I’ll take the spring exam in early March and get my license."

...

It was already evening by the time they returned to their townhouse in Dyker Heights.

For Don Quixote, a former executive director at JPMorgan Chase, getting a license wouldn’t normally be a difficult task. The problem was, he had been away from the high-intensity battlefield of finance for too long. Moreover, the NFL agent exam involved a vast amount of tedious material, from the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and salary cap rules to complex injury compensation clauses.

Even for a former genius, at his current age, it was going to be an uphill battle.

The moment he walked through the door, before he even had a chance to change out of his suit, Don Quixote rush-ordered a complete set of exam prep materials from Amazon and dove headfirst into his study.

The night deepened, and the clock hands crept silently past two in the morning.

The apartment was silent, save for the warm yellow glow of an old floor lamp in the corner of the living room. Lily was long asleep, hugging her Barbie doll, while Li Wei, thirsty in the middle of the night, emerged from his bedroom with an empty glass.

He saw that the study door was ajar, and from within came a very low, rapid muttering.

Li Wei quieted his steps and peered through the crack in the door.

Don Quixote was sitting at his desk, a pair of reading glasses perched on his nose. A book as thick as a brick, the *NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement Memorandum*, lay open before him. To his left was a cup of long-cold, strong coffee; in his right hand, he clutched a fountain pen, rapidly underlining key points.

"...According to Article 4, Section 2, the amortization period for a rookie contract’s signing bonus... cannot exceed five years..."

’Looks like there won’t be any sleepwalking to trigger a quest tonight,’ Li Wei thought, preparing to take his glass and go back to bed.

Suddenly, Don Quixote’s body jolted.

This time, he didn’t wake up.

The mental exertion and the fatigue from their long day had finally shattered his defenses. His chin slumped heavily onto the thick rulebook, his eyes squeezed shut, as if he had instantly fallen into a deep, coma-like sleep.

Yet, his lips were still trembling.

Li Wei was about to go in and help him to bed, but he stopped after taking just one step.

Because he heard the content of Don Quixote’s recitation change.

"...I shall be merciful to the weak..."

He began to recite things completely unrelated to the exam materials. It seemed Knight Don Quixote had returned.

Suddenly, a new quest popped up before Li Wei’s eyes.

[You have received the quest: Knight’s Code]

[Although you have won the championship, do not forget the path that brought you here. You have witnessed Knight Don Quixote reviewing the Knight’s Code.]

[Recite the contents of the Knight’s Code.]

[Quest Reward: Free Attribute Points +0.1]