America: I'm really not crazy

Chapter 7 Li Wei's Second-in-Command

Levi let Wesker in.

But it wasn't because he sympathized with Wesker, but because he was curious.

I'm curious how Wesker, a top middle-class individual with a net worth of millions of dollars, went bankrupt in just a few hours.

Because he had never owned a company before, nor had he ever amassed such a fortune.

Of course, it's not very polite to rub salt into someone's wounds, so to make up for Wesker, Levi generously brewed him a cup of hand-ground coffee that he himself wouldn't normally drink.

"Come on, drink this coffee, and then tell me your story. I'm really interested."

Wesker glanced at the cup of coffee, its bubbles mingling with green mold, then calmly looked away and summed up his story in a single sentence.

"Customers terminated their contracts, I was embroiled in lawsuits and couldn't get compensation immediately, banks withdrew their loans, my cash flow broke down, I became insolvent, and so I went bankrupt—just like most companies that go bankrupt overnight."

Li Wei was a little disappointed.

"Is it that simple? I thought it would be like in a TV drama, with some kind of 'business battle' plot."

"It's that simple. Because this is America, bankruptcy isn't some earth-shattering event, it's just everyday occurrence. Although, it's enough to make most people jump off a building."

Wesker said, looking down as he began to flip through the documents.

This time, Li Wei understood, so he shrugged.

"Okay, people jump off buildings every day."

As soon as Li Wei finished speaking, a figure flashed past the window.

Levi and Wesker both turned to look out the window at the same time.

"Did someone just jump off a building?"

"It should be."

After the conversation ended, Wesker continued searching through the documents.

Li Wei then wondered if he should make himself a cup of coffee.

He hadn't tasted this "good stuff" in a long time. He could accept not seeing it often, but now, smelling that stale, battlefield-smoky aroma, he was starting to crave it.

Just as Li Wei made up his mind and was about to get up to make himself a cup of tea, Wesker found the documents first, put them on the coffee table in the living room, and pushed them to Li Wei.

Out of politeness, Li Wei had no choice but to bend down instead of stand up and pick up the document to read it.

Li Wei flipped through the pages quickly, but he didn't just glance at them; instead, he precisely extracted the key information.

This was a skill he had honed while reading and writing battle reports.

After he finished reading, he looked up at Wesker across from him.

Although this "former Delta" is over forty, his physique is still in great shape. His suit and tie don't give him a "business" feel; instead, he looks like a medieval knight in full plate armor.

Aside from his poor mental state, he didn't seem to have changed much.

Therefore, Li Wei can make a conclusion.

"You didn't prepare this list and details of local gangs on the spot—you old geezer, you've been planning to double-cross them all along?"

Wesker shook his head, but he wasn't refuting Levi; he was just correcting him.

"It was a long time ago, but much earlier than you expect. Not in recent years, but twelve years ago, when I had just started my company. Back then, I had two backup plans. If my business failed, what you have will be my 'business insurance'."

"Isn't this stuff a bit outdated?"

Since learning that he only has one month to live, Li Wei has unusually raised questions based on "reasonableness" rather than his "feelings".

However, Li Wei was still the same Li Wei; he just suddenly found the silly idea of ​​the "Li Wei Gang" interesting.

Just like when playing a strategy game, "players" usually coordinate resources.

Instead of answering Levi's question directly, Wesker asked a question in return.

Isn't it normal to renew "commercial insurance" every year?

"So this is why 'Delta' is unpopular—you always consider yourselves the top elites and can't stand the slightest questioning. Even after bankruptcy, when faced with reasonable inquiries from the new and old bosses, you still question my level of understanding."

Wesker glanced at Levi and remained silent for two seconds.

"So, I got this 'job'?"

"Almost there."

Li Wei leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and rested his hands on his stomach.

Give me a reason.

Wesker returned all the remaining documents to Levi.

"Three safe houses, a secret account, a limited amount of cash, and some useful connections—that's all I can offer right now, which can serve as 'shares' for 'joining the group'."

Wesker's actions looked like those of a gambler in Las Vegas who was going all in, pushing all his chips into the board.

But Li Wei was not satisfied with this answer.

"Too ordinary."

Li Wei didn't even glance at the thick stack of documents.

Wesker wasn't angry or stunned; instead, he began to think about what else he could offer Levi.

Wesker suddenly laughed as the cup of green coffee cooled completely.

"I have nothing left, so could you open the window for me? I... it's not that I'm afraid, it's just that I'm a little unwilling to accept it."

Instead of opening the window for him, Li Wei stood up and grabbed Wesker's shoulder.

"Great! Wesker! This is exactly what I wanted!"

Levi's reaction left Wesker speechless, confirming once again that he couldn't keep up with the train of thought of this lunatic.

However, for the first time, he felt that this "inability to keep up" was so obvious.

But Li Wei ignored him and continued to ask questions with great excitement.

"Now tell me! For this 'unwillingness to accept defeat'! For yourself! How far are you willing to go!"

Wesker didn't answer immediately. Instead, he remained silent for a moment, then took out a flattened cigarette pack from his trouser pocket, pulled out the last cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

That one puff consumed nearly a third of the smoke.

Wesker laughed again.

Smoke billowed from the corners of his mouth, making him look like a demon crawled back from hell.

"Li Wei, do you know why I'm still not married at this age?"

"Because I know, I know that I am inherently a selfish person."

"So selfish... that I'm unwilling to shoulder the precious burden of 'family.' I just want to live a better life, that's all."

Li Wei smiled too, because he had finally obtained what he wanted most—his kindred spirits.

A kindred spirit, just like him, who is able to confront his own inner self.

However, he needed to confirm whether the old man in front of him was faking it.

"Great, let's do a little test now."

"If you saw an elderly woman walking her dog being robbed by a Black man, what would you do?"

Wesker was deep in thought, motionless like a statue.

He didn't react until the cigarette was almost burning his hand.

But instead of answering, Wesker asked a question in return.

Was the old lady walking her dog on a leash?

Li Wei was still smiling, but this time his grin was exceptionally wide—he was genuinely happy.

"That old lady wasn't on a leash; she broke the law."

Wesker shrugged.

"Okay, then I'll call you and ask you to come and watch a passionate showdown between 'criminals'."

At that moment, Wesker felt he could finally catch up with Levi's thought process.