Chapter 177: Chapter 114: Debt Paid Off, Merely Some Wind and Frost

He pointed to one of Anya’s cards.

"This is a Kutz World Silk Card," he swallowed. "Have you heard of Kutz Bank?"

Li Wei shook his head.

"That’s to be expected," Don Quixote said, clicking on the photo to examine it. "If I’m not mistaken, this must be from Kutz Bank."

"This is the personal bank of the British Royal Family," his voice carried a rare trace of genuine awe. "Its headquarters is at 440 River Street in London. This bank exclusively serves the royal family and nobility."

"What’s the big deal?" Li Wei shrugged. "Anya told me last time that she met a noble from Europe who couldn’t even afford the upkeep on his ancestral castle and had to rent it out as a hotel. The nobles and royals on the European Continent aren’t all they’re cracked up to be."

"So is your little girlfriend royalty or nobility?" Don Quixote asked, looking with an exasperated expression at the corner of the bank card visible in the photo. "A Russian with a Kutz Silk Card... Tsk. She must have a trust worth at least 300 million Pound Sterling to be issued this card."

"It’s really that much?" Li Wei said. "I only knew her quarterly trust fund dividend was over 2 million USD."

Don Quixote’s hand froze.

"Over two million USD a quarter," he repeated. "Based on eight million a year, and reverse-calculating from an annualized trust interest rate of 1.5-2%, that’s a principal of roughly 400 to 520 million USD."

"That little girl is that rich!" He suddenly raised his voice an octave. "Why didn’t you tell me sooner!"

"Keep your voice down," Li Wei scratched his ear, annoyed. "We’re in a public place."

"Am I not your guardian? You’re dating a girl this rich," Don Quixote said, deeply distressed, "and you didn’t even tell me?"

"I..." Li Wei thought for a moment. ’It seems I really haven’t told Don Quixote about this.’ "I forgot."

It took quite some effort to placate Don Quixote. During their conversation, Li Wei’s phone chimed twice.

One was the unique DING notification sound from the JPMorgan Chase private banking app he had just downloaded. The push notification read:

[J.P. Morgan] A FedWire transfer to your account has been confirmed.

It was only then that Li Wei learned that notifications for large deposits into private bank accounts usually didn’t display the amount.

The other sound was a text message alert from Raymond: Mr. Li Wei, the Giants’ finance department is very efficient. The funds have been cleared. I’ve completed the pre-compliance checks, and the system has released them directly. You are now free to use the funds. Congratulations.

Li Wei opened the private banking app and took a look:

[Transaction Alert: Your account received a wire transfer from the New York Giants at 14:32. Amount: +$2,385,000.00 USD]

A full $2,385,000 USD for his after-tax signing bonus.

Li Wei sighed and looked at Don Quixote. "Did they really have to deduct $2.62 million in taxes?"

Don Quixote nodded. "Perhaps your future income can be used for tax deductions. I’m planning to set up a personal company for you in the next few days, but there was really no way around it for this payment."

Li Wei had to take several deep breaths to compose himself.

"Alright," he sighed, fiddling with his phone. "I’ll pay off my debts back home first. Then there’s your agent commission."

He quickly made an overseas call and exchanged a few words.

"Wire USD... my father’s debt... mmhmm," he hung up, muttering to himself as he typed in a card number. "800,000 RMB is... only $100,000 USD?" he remarked with some surprise.

"That debt that once felt so crushing, like I couldn’t breathe," he said, turning to Don Quixote after tapping ’transfer’, "turns out it was only $100,000 USD."

"It’s all in the past," Don Quixote patted Li Wei’s shoulder. "Once you get over a hurdle, you look back and realize it was just a small thing."

"When I was a kid, if I wasn’t asleep by nine o’clock every night," he shrugged, "I’d feel like the sky was falling."

"It’s all in the past," Li Wei said, looking at the message he had received on WeChat. "Just a few hardships, that’s all."

After transferring another $150,000 USD to Don Quixote for his agent’s commission, the two of them left JPMorgan Chase, their hands full of bags.

When they got downstairs, Li Wei saw that the Aston Martin next to his 911 was gone. He figured it must have been Sebastian’s car.

But now, standing next to his 911 was a group of women in stockings, miniskirts, and crop tops, despite the winter cold. They were crowded around the car, taking non-stop photos. There were white, Latina, and Black women among them.

Amused, Li Wei pressed the key fob from a distance, starting the car.

The flashing lights startled them. Then, their eyes lit up when they saw Li Wei’s face and physique, and they brazenly started to approach him.

Fortunately, Knight Don Quixote was quick to act, driving them away and rescuing Li Wei.

"It’s been years, but nothing’s changed," he said, watching the women who kept looking back as they left. He spat. "These gold diggers, always preying on the Wall Street crowd."

"From the way you’re acting," Li Wei said jokingly, "did you get burned before?"

Don Quixote just grunted a couple of times.

"High-income, young, and full of energy," he said as he and Li Wei got into the car. "The other two types they specifically target are international students and athletes. You happen to be both. Anyway, just be careful."

It was now past 3 PM, and both Don Quixote and Li Wei were famished.

Having just become a millionaire, Li Wei had wanted to play the big shot and treat Don Quixote and himself to a nice meal.

But unexpectedly, the high-end restaurants were either not yet open for service or required reservations. Even for the sake of Li Wei’s face and his Porsche, they couldn’t just call the chef in for him.

In the end, the two of them settled for lunch at a 5 Guys on the street. Afterwards, they went to Queens to pick up Lily, who had just gotten out of school. Then, the two adults and one child went to look at the properties Don Quixote had picked out.

Li Wei had several points to consider for this house hunt.

It needed good privacy and security, so people couldn’t just wander into his home.

It needed to be spacious enough, with plenty of room for Don Quixote, Lily, and any future guests or friends.

The location had to be convenient, not too far from the Giants’ training facility, Yale University in New Haven, or Riverdale where Anya lived.

It also needed at least a two- or three-car garage.

This immediately narrowed down the options and drove up the rent significantly.

The three places Don Quixote had chosen all had monthly rents above $9,000 USD, firmly in the upper-class bracket.

The first was a recommendation from the Wen Si Scout: TriBeCa in Manhattan.

This was one of Manhattan’s traditional high-end neighborhoods, a gathering place for the art and film circles and all sorts of celebrities. Downstairs were all kinds of fine dining restaurants and art galleries, and the area had a very vibrant atmosphere.

A three-bedroom apartment here cost $15,500 USD per month. Li Wei drove over to look, but ultimately decided against it. Although the amenities were convenient, there was just too much foot traffic. While driving over, Li Wei even saw some paparazzi, who were probably there for other stars and celebrities, taking pictures of his car.

Those guys probably assumed anyone driving a luxury car was a celebrity, taking pictures first and sorting them out later.

The second option was relatively farther away, in the Hoboken Region of New Jersey. It was the closest high-end community to the Giants’ home stadium, and the security was good. Fans couldn’t just cross a river to chase after their idols. Plus, many Giants staff members also lived there.

But there was one major problem: it was a bit far from New York City. If he lived there with Lily and Don Quixote, driving Lily to school every day would be a huge hassle.

Li Wei took one look at the location on the map and righteously refused the idea of even visiting the property.

In reality, he wasn’t about to admit that the area was also very far from Riverdale in the Bronx, which would seriously interfere with his weekly dates with Anya.

The last option was in a neighborhood next to TriBeCa called Battery Park City. The property they were going to see was at 340 Albany Street.

A high-end residential area at the southern tip of Manhattan, with almost no tourists.

This time, they were looking at the largest and most expensive property: a 255-square-meter, multi-level residence with four bedrooms, four-and-a-half bathrooms, and a private garden.

Of course, the rent was also the most expensive, at $21,000 USD per month.

But for both Li Wei and Don Quixote, this price was no longer unacceptable.

Maybe they couldn’t afford to buy it yet, but when it came to renting, they now had more than enough confidence.

The moment Li Wei drove onto Albany Street, that signature, seemingly endless background noise of New York—the sirens, the taxi horns, the sound of construction drilling—immediately vanished.

Although it was only a few streets away from Wall Street, you could hardly hear the commotion from the Charging Bull, nor could you see the crowded tourists at the Statue of Liberty ferry terminal.

The few people occasionally walking dogs on the street were mostly well-dressed, hurried, and aloof, maintaining a perfectly safe social distance from one another.

The agent was already waiting at the entrance. The moment he saw the brand-new Porsche 911, his face broke into a huge smile.

Getting from the main entrance to the elevator required swiping a card at least three times. Seeing that the security guards at the door were openly armed made Li Wei feel even more assured about the level of security here.

’You get what you pay for.’

"Medical-grade fresh air filtration system, a whole-house double-filtered water purification system—because let’s be honest, New York’s tap water is disgustingly dirty—and triple-pane laminated glass," the agent explained. "Also, the master bedroom has a huge walk-in closet and a bathroom with a deep soaking tub, which can help you relax your muscles."

"Also, Leonardo DiCaprio once bought a place here," he said with a wink. "We’re very serious about protecting our residents’ privacy. The underground garage has direct elevator access. After you drive home, you can enter your unit directly, completely avoiding any paparazzi on the street."

"$21,000 USD a month?" Li Wei turned and asked. "Let’s rent it for a year. We can sign the contract now."

...

Every move came with more and more stuff.

When they moved from Sunset Park to Bei Ling Ridge, they had almost nothing. When they moved from Bei Ling Ridge to Dyker Heights, the amount of stuff gradually started to increase. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

And moving from Dyker Heights to here required a whole large truck to fit everything—most of it was Lily’s stuff from Queens. It’s always surprising how much stuff a kid has.

It took a full two days for Li Wei and the others to move in, and there was still a lot more to buy.

And on the very night they moved in, Li Wei once again heard the sound of Don Quixote putting on his armor.