Chapter 69: Chapter 62: Maybe I’m a Magician

Perhaps it was because Anya and Li Wei were dressed in expensive formal wear, or maybe it was the million-dollar luxury car she was driving, but the police officer’s attitude was surprisingly amicable.

"Oh, right, here... This is my registration and my driver’s license," Anya said. "I *do* have a license!"

She added with emphasis.

Li Wei also handed over the driver’s license and passport he’d just gotten two days prior.

"But... Miss Anya," the officer said as he looked over their documents, "with all due respect, that’s no excuse for doing 60 miles per hour in the Manhattan District. According to New York law, the speed limit is 40 miles per hour, even on the expressway—"

He suddenly stopped and sniffed the air inside the car.

"Have you been drinking, too?" He shook his head and dropped both of their IDs into an evidence bag. "Please raise your hands and place them where I can see them. Follow my instructions and step out of the vehicle. Looks like you two kids will be spending the night at the station, waiting for your guardians to post bail."

Driving as a minor, drunk driving, violating nighttime driving regulations, and passenger-related statutes...

"Oh, wait, Officer," Anya said after a moment’s thought. She pulled a wallet from an inside pocket. "Seeing as I’m a minor..."

She counted out a few hundred-dollar bills.

"Are you trying to bribe me?" the officer asked, an eyebrow raised in anger. "That’s illegal! Get out of the car, now!"

"The police in Moscow aren’t like this..."

Anya pouted and got ready to open her door.

"Wait, Officer," Li Wei said suddenly. "I’d like to ask a question, if I may."

’If I go to the station, my guardian will have to spend money to bail me out, and my only guardian, Don Quixote, is still in Delaware.’

"What other questions do you have?" Seeing that Li Wei was also in a formal suit, the officer barely suppressed his anger. "But watch what you say, kid. Your words will be recorded as evidence."

"I know we broke some laws by speeding," Li Wei said. "But as a police officer, you sometimes break the law too, don’t you?"

Anya whipped her head around, staring at Li Wei in surprise.

A "DING" echoed in Li Wei’s mind.

"That’s right," the officer said with a smile. "Sometimes I do."

"How interesting," Li Wei said, signaling for Anya to stay put. "It’s perfectly normal for people with power to enjoy a few small privileges, isn’t it?"

"Yes, kid. Yes. It’s a joy you can’t even imagine," the officer said, a sudden smile spreading across his face as he got lost in a memory. "Sometimes, late at night, I’ll turn on my lights and just tear down the highway. No particular reason. Just because I can."

"Right?" Li Wei said. "Why not? That sounds like fun."

"Exactly. And sometimes I’ll deliberately pull over some niggers," he said with a smile. "Even if they’ve got decent jobs, driving nice cars they bought with their own money, I’ll still haul them in on a bogus theft charge just to mess with them. Just because I feel like it—"

"Hey, Adam!"

Police in the United States of America always operate in units of at least two: a lead officer and a backup.

The backup officer in the patrol car saw the lead officer stopped by the car for a long time and, thinking he might be in danger, called out to him.

The officer’s eyes snapped back to clarity. A second later, he realized what he had just said and clapped a hand over his mouth in a panic.

"You see, Officer, I believe you’re an upstanding officer," Li Wei said with a shrug. "But nobody’s perfect. I think we all deserve a second chance, don’t you?"

"Yes, Officer," Anya chimed in, putting on her most pitiful expression. "Please, just let us go this one time."

"I’m fine, Tom!" the officer shouted to his partner. He unclipped his body cam and, while deleting the footage, said, "Alright, alright... Drive safely, kids. I’ll let you off with a warning this time, but don’t let it happen again, okay?"

He handed their IDs back to Anya and Li Wei.

"No problem," Anya promised. "I swear!"

...

"How did you do that?"

「In the Bei Ling Ridge Region, in front of Li Wei’s home.」

Anya leaned her elbow on the steering wheel, rested her head on her arm, and looked sideways at Li Wei.

"Do what?" Li Wei shrugged. "Maybe I’m a Magician?"

Anya laughed.

"Oh, the Magician routine again. Alright, Magician," she said, blinking. "I’ll remember you now. I’m serious this time."

"Be careful on your way back," Li Wei said as he got out of the car. "And don’t speed."

Anya hit the gas. The specially tuned AMG engine of the G800 let out a beastly, rumbling roar as she pulled away at an unhurried pace.

As she drove northeast along Henry Hudson Avenue, Anya was suddenly struck by how empty the car felt.

She picked up her phone, wanting to call someone, but suddenly didn’t know who.

In September, New York was on daylight saving time, making Moscow seven hours ahead.

At 11 PM in New York, it was already 6 AM the next day in Moscow.

Her family, her classmates over there, her friends, her closest girlfriends—they were all probably still asleep.

’And as for New York... forget it.’

Dejectedly, she stuffed her phone into her bag, only to pull it out again.

Suddenly, she slapped her forehead and slammed on the horn.

’Blyat! I talked with Li Wei for so long and didn’t even get his number!’

「About half an hour later.」

The roar of the G800’s exhaust quieted considerably as she turned onto Palisades Avenue in Riverdale.

This was the wealthiest neighborhood in the Bronx District. A breeze from the Hudson River rustled through dense oak forests, keeping the clamor of Manhattan south of the Henry Hudson Bridge at bay.

Even though every unit in the Gaojing Apartments cost over 7 million USD and the New York climate was a vast improvement over Moscow’s, Anya still wasn’t fond of the place.

After parking in the underground garage, Anya returned to her sprawling top-floor penthouse.

"Miss Anya, I heard you didn’t stay for the entire banquet?"

a woman with short blond hair, dressed in a tailored black suit, said from the entryway.

"That’s right, Auntie Kaja. I ran into Alex again, that pest," Anya said, casually tossing her formal jacket to her. "It completely ruined my mood for the party, so I just left."

"Someone said they saw you leave with a boy," Kaja stated calmly. "Is he a new friend of yours?"

Anya kicked off her high heels, wriggled her bare toes on the soft cashmere carpet, and then threw herself onto the sofa with a contented groan.

"Mmm-hmm," she said, staring up at the crystal chandelier. "I met a very interesting Magician."

"You should get some rest, Miss," Kaja said, squatting down to pick up Anya’s high heels. "You have your tennis lesson early tomorrow morning."

Anya puffed her cheeks out like a pufferfish, then quickly let the air out.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah," she said, rolling listlessly off the sofa. "Ugh, I don’t get why Dad had to send me to New York... I could’ve gotten into Moscow University without lifting a finger back in Moscow..."

「An hour later.」

Anya lay curled in a ball on her bed, dressed in a silk nightgown, but sleep wouldn’t come.

She climbed out of bed and, by the soft glow of the moonlight reflecting off the river and the nightlight at her feet, picked up her tablet and began searching for information about Li Wei.

"Li Wei... a four-star recruit?" she murmured, looking at the search results. "Franklin K. Lane High School?"

As she kept searching, she came across a tweet that said, "Keep it up next Friday, Franklin vs. Erasmus High School."

She did another search and discovered that Erasmus High School, Li Wei’s upcoming opponent, was a football powerhouse in the New York public school system, having sent players to the NCAA and NFL for decades.

Anya blinked and checked her schedule—

Wednesday afternoon: Latin class.

Thursday afternoon: Tennis lesson.

Friday evening: Host the school’s French club, tutor underclassmen in reading.

She decisively crossed out the French club meeting.