Over 120 square meters? A three-bedroom converted into a two-bedroom?!
That sounded so much better than the one he'd looked at himself!
He took the phone Ms. Susan offered and glanced at the web link, the pictures, and the eye-watering monthly rent of 5,800 USD.
Li Wei was extremely tempted, but after a moment's thought, he shook his head with regret.
"I'm very tempted, Ms. Susan," Li Wei said, gesturing to himself and Don Quixote, "but I doubt I can afford such a nice place—"
"Not so fast. Hear me out first."
Before he could finish, Susan cut him off by raising a single finger.
"I'm a businesswoman; I don't make deals I'll lose money on," she said with a smile. "Actually, I think you have a point. It's possible someone was deliberately targeting me today."
"So?" Li Wei thought she was about to ask him to be her muscle. "You want us to look into it for you?"
Susan let out a few dry chuckles, the kind only rich people make.
"I do have a few friends," she said lightly. "I can handle this sort of thing myself."
"Besides, if I do find something," she said after a pause, "I might have to hire a new inspector who knows their way around the books in a couple of days. Didn't you say Don Quixote used to work at JPMorgan Chase, is a top graduate from the University of Chicago, and speaks Spanish?"
As she spoke, she pointed at Don Quixote, who was standing by the side of the road, attempting to duel a discarded tire.
Li Wei nodded. That much was true.
Susan owned over a dozen properties scattered across different Brooklyn neighborhoods. It was unrealistic for her to handle rent collection, maintenance, and tenant relations all by herself.
In fact, she had a small five-person company dedicated to managing her valuable properties. Her employees included not only an accountant but also an inspector for tenant relations and a maintenance worker from Mexico who didn't speak English.
"Wait for my call," she said, pressing her business card into Li Wei's hand. "If I really end up needing someone, you can consider that apartment a dorm for you and your uncle."
"I never said I'd work for you," Li Wei said. "I still have school."
"It doesn't matter. You're just a bonus," Susan said, unconcerned by such minor details. "Thank you for your help today."
With that, she started her BMW X6 and slowly drove out of the parking lot into the night.
"Looks like Uncle's luck is about to turn," Li Wei muttered to himself, watching Don Quixote struggle to pull himself out of the tire. 'Is this what they call a fool's fortune?'
「...」
The next morning, Li Wei made two bowls of oatmeal with milk. Into one, he put two scoops of the protein powder he had won.
Don Quixote had been selling his blood a little too frequently lately; he needed the extra protein.
Besides, Ms. Susan was quite voluptuous. In comparison, Don Quixote was as scrawny as a stray dog. With a mischievous thought, Li Wei added another scoop of protein powder to the oatmeal.
"...So," Don Quixote said, stirring the oatmeal that had become a thick porridge, "what is this?"
"Oatmeal with milk," Li Wei said casually. "I added the protein powder I won yesterday."
"No wonder. This stuff looks about as thick as what I beat out," Don Quixote said, taking a spoonful before it hit him. "Wait, where did you win protein powder?"
"A gym over in Sunset Park," Li Wei replied nonchalantly. "Some guy from Latin America lost to me and even had to streak."
Don Quixote nearly spat out a mouthful of oatmeal. "What?!"
Li Wei sidestepped the spray and said dismissively, "Calm down. New York is full of weirdos. Isn't someone streaking pretty normal?"
"I saw that video online..." Don Quixote wiped his mouth with his T-shirt sleeve. "You actually beat him? He looked huge."
"I'm just naturally strong," Li Wei said breezily. "By the way, about your brick-lugging and dishwashing jobs... can you quit?"
"Why?" Don Quixote asked instinctively. "If I quit, what work will I find? There aren't many places that will hire me right now."
Li Wei organized the story he had discussed with Susan and began, "I work at a boutique that caters to wealthy women, and I ran into a rich lady the other day."
"And? You said yes?" Don Quixote said excitedly. "Are you about to lead your dear uncle—that's me—to the good life?"
"Get away from me! Don't spit on me!" Li Wei shoved Don Quixote back onto the sofa, annoyed. "It's not me, it's you. *You're* going to lead *me* to the good life. That rich lady seems to be looking to hire someone."
He then told Don Quixote a story about a wealthy woman named Susan who, while browsing at a boutique, had casually mentioned she was planning to hire a new accountant and inspector. Naturally, Li Wei had recommended his uncle, Don Quixote.
"Sounds perfect for me," Don Quixote said, rubbing his hands together, tempted. "But with my credit score so low, I doubt she'd trust me, right?"
'Thanks to your little Knight-rescues-the-Witch act yesterday,' Li Wei thought silently, 'she's very interested in you.'
'Or maybe that slap just knocked her silly.'
Li Wei didn't say any more. He finished his own oatmeal, tossed the bowl into the sink, and left for his part-time job, one after the other with Don Quixote.
On the subway, Li Wei hesitated between Strength and Spiritual Power, but ultimately decided to focus on raising his Strength to 3.0 for now.
His 1.5 Spiritual Power was more than enough to handle his current schoolwork; getting a scholarship was practically in the bag.
But in the United States of America, especially when you're trying to make it in Brooklyn, physical fitness was a little more important.
[Strength 1.5] -> [Strength 1.6]
As the extra 0.1 attribute point was added to Strength, that familiar warm current once again began to spread from his spine all the way to his fingertips and toes.
He felt his body swell slightly with the increase in strength, then condense and become more solid.
In the two short weeks since he got the system, his Strength attribute had doubled, going from 0.8 to 1.6.
His once-loose T-shirts were now strained across his pecs and lats, and the fabric of the sleeves clung tightly to his upper arms, outlining a contour as hard as armor.
Suddenly, the subway car lurched. A large Black man, weighing about 300 pounds, lost his balance and stumbled heavily toward Li Wei.
THUD!
Li Wei stood his ground, not even flinching, the hand gripping the overhead handle not moving an inch. The man who had crashed into him, however, felt as if he had run into a solid, load-bearing column. The immense recoil twisted his face in pain, and with an "Oof!" he fell messily onto the seat opposite them.
"You okay?" Li Wei offered a hand. "Let me help you up."
Then, under the incredulous gazes of the other passengers, Li Wei used just one arm to pull the man's heavy, 300-pound frame right off the floor, as if lifting a pillow stuffed with cotton.
"Bro..." The man glanced at the finger marks left on his wrist and swallowed hard. "You've got a crazy grip."
Li Wei just smiled faintly without a word.
At Dolores's boutique that day, the manager, Lady Delores, was once again absent, and there were no customers.
Another day to be a salary thief, enjoying the air conditioning.
After reviewing all his high school AP course materials, Li Wei huddled up with his coworker Emma, who was also Russian, to learn some choice Russian swear words.
In New York, you can't even claim to be in the heart of the world if you don't know how to curse in at least five languages.
Just as Emma was correcting Li Wei on how to pronounce "Suka Bulie!" like a proper Russian, his phone rang.
It was a call from Susan.