Chapter 196: Chapter 124: So You Can Fight? What Good Is That?

"My business with the Giants hasn’t been officially announced yet," Li Wei said after a moment’s thought. "How did Chairman Lin find out?"

"I have quite a few friends," Lin Daohang explained. "A Chinese contractor who did the insulation on the facade of the Giants’ training center heard a rumor."

Li Wei hadn’t expected that.

"In that case," Li Wei nodded, "what would you like me to do?"

He wasn’t a saint; just because some Chinese person he had just met came asking for help didn’t mean he was obligated to give it.

Although for Li Wei, putting in a word with Holmes or making a public statement wouldn’t be too difficult.

’He could guess what Lin Daohang wanted him to do. After signing with the Giants, he’d be expected to voice his support for the cause in an interview or at a public event.’

’But he knew that his public statements now carried weight. He’d realized that back at the All-American Bowl.’

’If they wanted him to say something, he’d have to think it over first. And see what kind of compensation Lin Daohang was prepared to offer.’

"I only ask that you express your support for Chinatown at an appropriate time," Lin Daohang’s voice trembled slightly. "That is my only request."

[You have received a quest: The Vanishing Tribe]

[A native clan has put down deep roots here. Now, faced with an overt scheme, they are powerless to resist. Help them weather this crisis.]

[Quest Reward: +0.1 Free Attribute Point]

Now that a quest was involved, Li Wei had to give it serious thought.

"How about this," he said after a moment of thought. "I need to go home and think this over. Even if I do sign with the Giants, it won’t be until April at the earliest. That’s still almost two months from now."

"Please, I urge you to take this matter to heart." Lin Daohang, understanding that Li Wei needed time to think, played his bargaining chip. "There’s one other thing... I’ve been in New York for over thirty years, so I’ve made my share of friends. If you ever need to dig up some information, or have some... dirty work that needs doing, please don’t hesitate to ask."

Li Wei thought about how they had found out about his contract, and about the martial arts school sign by the door. He nodded.

Seeing Li Wei nod, a faint smile appeared on Lin Daohang’s face. "It’s getting late, Mr. Li. How about we sample the culinary skills of a chef from Longjingxuan Restaurant? He specializes in Chinese-Western fusion, so I’m sure you’ll both enjoy it."

Li Wei asked Anya, who had remained elegant throughout their conversation. After getting her opinion, he accepted Lin Daohang’s invitation.

The chef, who had trained at Longjingxuan Restaurant, was truly something. A succession of exquisite fusion dishes arrived like a flowing river, catering to Li Wei’s "Celestial Dynasty" stomach while also accommodating Anya’s Western palate.

Throughout the meal, Lin Daohang was a wellspring of witty conversation, sticking to pleasantries and never once mentioning his earlier request. He handled the situation with perfect tact.

"This is the ’Golden Canary’s Nest’," Lin Daohang explained, pointing to a dish of crispy, deep-fried taro threads woven into the shape of a nest, cradling stir-fried lobster meatballs with black truffle. "It’s the chef’s signature dish. The name symbolizes ’building a nest to attract a phoenix,’ which is quite fitting for the two of you."

Anya took a bite, and her eyes lit up with satisfaction. She clearly enjoyed it very much.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Wei politely declined Lin Daohang’s offer to arrange a car for them. He wanted to take a stroll through Chinatown with Anya to walk off the meal. Lin Daohang didn’t insist and personally escorted the two to the restaurant’s entrance.

The city lights were just beginning to glow. Chinatown’s neon signs flickered in the darkness, their intermingling red and green light reflecting on the wet asphalt, creating a distinctly cyberpunk vibe.

"So, what did you think?" Li Wei asked. "How was the chef’s food? Did you like it?"

"It was excellent," Anya said thoughtfully. "Much better than anything I had in Moscow."

"He’s coming to my place to make soup sometime," Li Wei said. "Do you want to come?"

"Just for soup?" Anya pressed her cheek against Li Wei’s arm. "Can’t we do something... else?"

Li Wei was, naturally, all for it—raising more than just his hands in approval.

Just as they were whispering to one another, a conflict suddenly erupted in a Cantonese barbecue shop up ahead.

Li Wei glanced over. It looked like a few Black street punks were causing trouble.

The glass counter inside the barbecue shop had been smashed, and a young man with a buzz cut, maybe in his early twenties, was repeatedly apologizing to them.

Li Wei had no intention of getting involved and was about to lead Anya away when Lin Daohang, who must have gotten word of the incident, rushed over at top speed with several bodyguards in tow.

"Stop! All of you, stop right now!"

The group of Black troublemakers saw Lin Daohang’s sudden arrival but didn’t seem particularly intimidated.

Their leader was a big guy in a baggy Bulls jersey, a gaudy fake gold chain hanging around his neck. He held a baseball bat, which he used to idly tap at the shattered glass covering the floor.

"And who’s this? The Godfather of Chinatown?" the big guy sneered, flashing a mouthful of crooked teeth. His cronies joined in, and the air filled with a chorus of whistles and jeers.

Lin Daohang didn’t ask what was going on. Instead, he pulled a small roll of twenty-dollar bills from his jacket pocket and held it out.

"Gentlemen," he said. "I believe this is all a misunderstanding. Please take this as compensation in case your shoes were scuffed by the glass. The rest is for you all to have a drink."

The leader looked at the roll of cash—at least 1,000 USD—and snatched it without a word of thanks. With a call to his crew, he started to leave.

The crowd parted to let them through, and Li Wei prepared to lead Anya away as well.

However, Anya’s dress and appearance were too striking, and she immediately caught the eye of the departing thugs.

They changed direction and strode toward the pair.

Li Wei’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled Anya behind him.

Anya, too, reached into her handbag, though it didn’t look like she was going for her phone.

But to everyone’s surprise, when the men reached them, they completely ignored Anya. Instead, they excitedly pulled out their phones and spoke to Li Wei with an air of almost reverent fanaticism.

"You’re King! Right?!" they clamored. "Oh man, it’s Li Wei! Can I get a picture with you?"

Li Wei & Anya: ?

"Let’s skip the photo," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "You guys just trashed a store."

Only then did they seem to realize it wasn’t exactly the right time or place.

The leader seemed to blush, but thanks to the combined effects of the dim light and his skin color, Li Wei couldn’t be sure he’d seen it correctly.

"It’s just business, man. I wasn’t targeting Asians or anything," he said in a low voice. "Sorry, bro."

After that, he and his companions quickly left.

Li Wei shook his head and left with Anya, who had now removed her hand from her bag.

Back inside the shop, the young man with the buzz cut stared at the wreckage, furious.

"Chairman... why did you give them money?" he asked in a low voice, suppressing his anger. "I could’ve taken care of all of them myself. Just give me the word, I guarantee I’d do it clean. Since when did our... our association... let people walk all over us like this?"

"So you can fight, huh?" Lin Daohang glared at him. "And what damn good does that do? You think this is the nineties, before you were even born, when we were at war with the Vietnamese Gang? Everyone in this business needs a legitimate front these days. It’s all about influence, about factions. You want to start shooting? You think we don’t attract enough attention as it is?"

He gestured toward the flashing police lights in the distance, which hadn’t yet been turned off.

"If a single non-Chinese person dies here—it doesn’t even matter if we did it or not—tomorrow’s headline in the New York Times will be ’Chinatown Gang Violence Claims Minority Victim.’ Then the police will raid our businesses, the fire department will shut down our shops, and Holmes’s demolition order will suddenly look perfectly legitimate."

He glanced in the direction Li Wei had disappeared.

"Our only hope now rests with Mr. Li," he said. "Hopefully, he can put in a word for us."

"A guy like that isn’t one of us. He’s never even lived in Chinatown," the young man said scornfully, grabbing a broom to sweep up the shards of glass. "He’s a big star now. Why would he give a damn whether people like us live or die?" He put little faith in Lin Daohang’s plan.

...

「The next day, at the Horace Mann School, just before a French exam.」

Anya sought out Tiffany Rockefeller.

"Tiffany," she began, "I have a favor to ask."