Basketball Terminal

Chapter 78 Dongzi
On the morning of March 3rd, Li Wei moved into a luxury apartment in the W Center in Manhattan's financial district. This apartment complex has partnerships with the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Knicks, offering residents discounted rent. Jeremy Lin also temporarily resided here after officially signing with the Knicks.

Although it was called a move, there wasn't much stuff. The most important thing was the cabinet full of comics and figurines that Li Wei had in the attic. Li Yue and Luo Ping drove the comics, figurines, clothes, and some necessities to Manhattan.

One kilometer south of the apartment is the famous Charging Bull of Wall Street, and one kilometer north is the site of the 9/11 Twin Towers. Li Wei rents an apartment on the 38th floor. When he draws back the curtains, he can see the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island in the bay, the iconic building that has appeared in countless movies and TV series.

Living in the heart of New York City truly gives you the feeling of living in New York. However, standing beneath this multi-story apartment building, looking at the surrounding environment, Levi thought, "This feels fucking run-down."

The asphalt road is cracked, the walls are filthy, and there's a mess of graffiti on the opposite wall. And what's with all the shared bikes next to it? Are they going to ride these things to work on Wall Street and trade stocks? They really should save money and spend it wisely.

Overall, it feels similar to commercial centers in second- or third-tier cities in China, but falls short compared to first-tier cities. Before moving in, Li Wei checked some tenant reviews, and eight out of ten were negative. The complaints ranged from frequent elevator malfunctions to leaky ceilings and broken central air conditioning.

If it weren't for the discounted rent, convenient transportation (only a 20-minute drive to the Barclays Center and HSS training facility), and the privacy and safety protection offered to players, Levi wouldn't have wanted to rent it at all after reading these reviews, especially since it's so dilapidated.

“My God, I never imagined you could live here now, Victor, with the Wall Street elites! You’re one of them now!” Paris Robin exclaimed in amazement at the uncultured New Yorker.

"Let's go, let's take the stuff upstairs, don't ruin my figurines and comics!"

The elevator was indeed old and narrow, but thankfully it wasn't rush hour, so the wait wasn't too long. Li Wei, wearing a mask, stood out in the apartment building with his tall figure, but no one bothered to greet him. Everyone was in a hurry, indifferent to others; that's how big cities are—everyone lives their own life.

The apartment room was fully equipped with all kinds of facilities, and the decoration was quite nice. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of Manhattan. Luo Ping and Li Yue, two uncultured city bumpkins, were still shouting and yelling in front of the windows, still acting like they'd never seen anything like it.

After familiarizing himself with the layout of the house and checking the water and electricity, Li Wei wondered how long he would stay here. His contract was for six months, enough to last until the end of this season. As for where he would be next season, and where he would live, Li Wei had no idea.

"Hey, you two, hurry up and tell me what's up. I have a date to go out later, and I'm going to warm up for the competition this afternoon."

Luo Ping and Li Yue exchanged a glance. Luo Ping spoke first, taking out a pair of paper-wrapped sneakers from his backpack, opening them to show Li Wei, and saying, "Victor, take a look at these shoes, what do you think?"

Li Wei picked up the shoes and examined them. The design was quite trendy, but there was no brand logo—what kind of counterfeit product was this? Luo Ping said, "These are sneakers designed specifically for you by a designer I know! Of course, this is just a sample; the detailed design hasn't been incorporated yet. We'll see..."

"Wait, wait, a designer? What designer? Nike or Adidas? Or some Chinese brand?"

"Uh...no, it's from Flushing."

"When did Flushing get a sneaker brand?"

"He's not a brand, he's just a designer. He's my best friend, and he's incredibly good at designing sneakers."

"Wait, wait, Paris, what do you mean? Hire a designer to design shoes just for me? I thought you were going to find me a brand to sign with. Do I have to pay the designer?"

"No, listen to me, Victor. I'm thinking that instead of signing with big brands, we should create our own brand and get all the profits. Agents from those big brands have approached me, and their terms are very demanding. Didn't you tell York that we won't sign low-value, long-term contracts and that we should wait patiently?"

Li Yue chimed in, "Luo Ping is right. When you went to Texas, we talked to some brands. Their conditions were very demanding. They wanted to sign you as soon as possible before you established your value."

Why didn't you send me the price quote and the details of the negotiations?

"I sent it to you, but you didn't reply. I don't know what you're doing."

Li Wei realized that he was having a great time with the strippers and hadn't been checking messages or answering his phone.

“Victor, if you want to sign with a brand, that’s fine too. I didn’t refuse them. Actually, their prices are quite tempting, over a million dollars, which is a considerable sum.”

“Millions of dollars? Tell them to get lost, I won’t sign a contract like that. As for our own brand, I’ll think about it first, but that’s a last resort. If that’s the case, it’ll take a lot of time and effort to design, manufacture, and distribute. Can you handle that?” “Of course we can! Creating a sneaker brand has always been my dream!” Luo Ping said.

Li Wei grabbed a soft cushion from the sofa and started chasing after Luo Ping, beating him.

"I'll let you dream, let you dream! I don't want a million dollars, I'll become your dream-realizing machine! You don't need to raise your daughter anymore, she can dream here!"

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! If this deal really goes through, you'll be a billionaire! A billionaire! Victor, selling sneakers isn't as hard as you think, stop hitting me!"

Li Wei threw a sofa cushion at Luo Ping, who nimbly dodged it and breathed a sigh of relief. After listening to his younger brother Li Yue's analysis, Li Wei realized that independent brands might not be as bad as he thought. Brooklyn Nets player Spencer Dinwiddie, for example, didn't sign with any shoe manufacturers but instead created his own brand.

"His shoes are all made in China, designed by artists in New York. The cost is very low, and there are many styles. He sells them directly on the platform, and most of the profits go to him. Also, the Chinese market is huge, which is actually your advantage and one of the reasons why you are better than other players at building your own brand."

After signing a big contract, Dinwiddie is out for the season and recovering. Li Wei has never met this teammate before and will try to ask him for advice when he has the chance.

Let's put that aside for now; performance on the field is the most important thing. Good performance will increase his market value, opening up more options. If he wants to avoid trouble, he can sign with a brand and negotiate a good price. If he's not satisfied with a brand, he can consider developing his own business—that's also an option.

"Alright, we'll talk about this later. Li Yue, what do you want to tell me? What important discovery have you made? What discovery?" Li Wei discovered that his younger brother was indeed quite shrewd in business, with a clear mind and a broad vision. Making him his assistant was the right choice.

"Brother, I went to the hospital for a check-up the day before yesterday, and according to the results, I found out that I am indeed mentally challenged."

"Pfft!" Li Wei was drinking water when he spat it all out.

"Why...why did you go and get your intelligence checked?"

"Isn't that the article of yours that said you have a mentally challenged younger brother? The welfare agency in Flushing came to my door and insisted on taking me for a checkup. Fine, I went. And after the checkup, holy crap, I really do have a problem. I have Asperger's syndrome."

I've heard of Asperger's syndrome; it's a type of high-functioning autism. Most autistic individuals experience intellectual disability and communication difficulties, but Asperger's patients generally don't have significant language or intellectual problems, and some even possess exceptional talent in certain areas, such as music, mathematics, and science. They also tend to have lower motor skills, clumsy movements, and low emotional intelligence in interpersonal interactions.

Characters like Sheldon from "The Big Bang Theory" and the older brother from the movie "Rain Man" belong to this spectrum. Of course, their intelligence is not exaggerated due to the film and television adaptations.

Li Yue said this, and Li Wei recalled that his younger brother had indeed been different from other children since childhood. He didn't like playing with children his own age and had a strong obsession with collecting, such as shoes. He also had an excellent memory; he could remember the brand, era, and price of a pair of shoes.

Of course, these are advantages. Correspondingly, Li Yue has poor athletic ability, poor concentration, and is easily distracted, so his academic performance is not good. Contrary to the portrayal in movies and TV shows, Asperger's is not a mad scientist-like genius.

Li Wei hugged his younger brother, patted his head, and said, "My poor brother, how the hell can I ever trust you again?"

"No problem, I passed the IQ test. And I'm very happy now. No wonder I felt so relaxed when I was pretending to be stupid. Turns out I am."

"Don't talk nonsense. You're not mentally challenged or stupid. You're just... just a little different from everyone else."
-
Around 6 PM, the Nets vs. Dallas Mavericks game at Barclays Center will begin in an hour. The arena has allowed more fans in this game, reaching 684, double the previous attendance.

With more and more people allowed in, it's expected that 80% of the seats will be open by the playoffs. Playoff revenue goes to the league, so it's time to make money, and the league office won't let it pass by. Last year, Disney suffered huge losses due to declining revenue.

Kyrie Irving missed this game due to injury, and Li Wei once again entered the team's starting lineup. During warm-up on the court, Li Wei saw Donnie Nelson standing on the sidelines, nodded to him, and the two agreed to have dinner together after the game. It's unclear what this guy is up to.

Li Wei doesn't care about any of that. Tonight, he only has one target: the chubby little white guy warming up on the other side, number 77, Doncic. He'll need you to take the lead in gaining popularity. Anyway, this league is all about you stepping on me and me stepping on you. Letting me step on you isn't a big deal, is it?

Is that right, Dongzi?

(End of this chapter)