Chapter 88: Chapter 75: A Level 1 Alert Goes Off in Don Quixote’s Mind

"Huh?" Craig played football too, but he wasn’t on whatever Travis was, so his brain worked a lot better. He couldn’t follow Travis’s train of thought at all. "For real?"

"Would I lie to you?" Travis said decisively, rolling up his sleeves to go find some tools. "Let me ask you, who was that ugly hag next to him just now?"

"That’s Lady Laura," Craig said. "Principal Herman’s secretary."

"Her and the principal," Travis said, pointing at the school building. "How do they treat students like us?"

"Vampires—"

"Absolute scumbags—"

"They cut our lunch budget—"

"So," Travis said, "what good do you think could come from her approaching Li Wei?"

Craig thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh. "Fack! You’re right. That explains why Principal Herman’s face was all puckered up in a smile when he came in this morning—"

"Our bro is in trouble!" His expression changed. "We have to stop the principal’s plot!"

...

「Inside the principal’s office.」

"Li Wei, you have to understand, we’re making you a very generous offer for a high school student," the White Agent said, tapping the 30-page contract on the desk. "A 100,000 USD advance isn’t considered low, even in the NCAA."

"Besides," Principal Herman began, his voice heavy with meaning, his portly figure squeezed into the swivel chair, "the school will get a referral fee from this. We’ll have the funds to renovate the locker rooms and get a whole new set of equipment. You’re part of the team, Mr. Li Wei. Surely you want what’s best for your school, don’t you?"

"You became a 5-star player," he said. "Are you going to deny the role this school played in your development?"

Li Wei gave Herman a strange look.

"Principal Herman, I have to point something out," he said, clearing his throat. "I only transferred here a little over a month ago."

Herman’s expression froze.

"Fine, so maybe becoming a 5-star player had nothing to do with the school," he stammered, pausing for a moment. "But... but you can’t deny the coaching you received from our very own Coach Miller, can you?"

"Coach Miller has also only coached me for a month... Speaking of which," Li Wei asked, looking puzzled, "where is Coach Miller? Shouldn’t he be here for this?"

"Coach Miller had something come up; he couldn’t make it," Principal Herman said with a couple of coughs, looking at Li Wei. "Allow me to introduce you, Mr. Li Wei. This is Mr. White, a prominent agent. He’s very influential in New York media circles."

"If you become one of my athletes," White said, "I can get you on the sports section’s front page of the *New York Post* before Thanksgiving."

"And don’t you want to meet some models?" he asked, eyeing Li Wei’s exceptionally young and handsome face. "I can get you into New York Fashion Week. You can go backstage, chat with the models, get to know them... maybe even spark a little romance."

"I think I’ll be able to earn a lot more than 100,000 USD in the future," Li Wei said with a shrug. "Sorry, but I have no intention of signing any contracts right now."

"Now, don’t be so quick to decide, young man," White said with a smile. "Of course you’ll earn more than 100,000 USD. That’s a given. You’re a future NFL superstar."

He patiently explained to Li Wei just how brutal the competition was. He covered the path from high school to college NCAA ball, and then to the professional NFL. ("Only 2.4% of NCAA players ever make it to the NFL.") He pointed out that you don’t earn a salary during your NCAA years. ("There are only NIL endorsement fees and likeness rights, which is what this contract is for.") Then he brought up how expensive college life and dating can be. With 100,000 USD up front plus a cut of the profits later, he insisted, it was a win-win situation.

White, Laura, and Herman took turns trying to win Li Wei over. Li Wei, for his part, put on a show of listening patiently. His occasional questions only boosted the trio’s confidence, making them think he was just a second away from picking up the pen on the desk.

’My 100,000 USD referral fee,’ Principal Herman thought.

’My 2,000 USD cut,’ Secretary Laura thought.

’Sign it, sign it!’ White roared inwardly.

After several minutes, Li Wei looked at White, who had drained an entire bottle of water and talked himself hoarse.

"I see," Li Wei said with a nod. "I’m not signing."

Principal Herman: ?

Laura: ?

White was on the verge of cursing him out, but he managed to restrain his temper and offered a gentle smile. "And why is that? Mr. Li Wei, do you have any other questions?"

"No reason," Li Wei said, shaking his head. "I just don’t want to."

The fact that John Mara wanted him to go straight to the NFL was a secret known only to him, Wen Si, and Mara himself. For now, everything was still up in the air, so Li Wei wasn’t about to go around publicizing it.

Besides, the contract was basically a slave deal. A 100,000 USD advance to buy up 70% of his endorsement and commercial revenue from his name and likeness rights.

White was about to say something more when a strange sound drifted up from downstairs.

"SCREEECH— SCREEECH—"

A piercing sound, like fingernails scraping across a blackboard, came through the window.

It was followed by a dull thud. "WHAM!!"

"What was that sound?" White frowned. It had come from the direction where his brand-new BMW was parked.

"I don’t know," Principal Herman said. His Mercedes was parked right next to the BMW. "Don’t worry, we have—"

He was about to say they had security cameras, but then he remembered. The cameras outside the main building had broken down from old age last week, and he’d pocketed more than half of the repair funds allocated by the city.