Basketball Terminal

Chapter 18 Beauty
When Li Wei entered "Young and Beautiful," several customers were still selecting clothes. But they quickly realized something was off about this newcomer. A burly man over two meters tall, wearing a mask, a jacket, and carrying a canvas bag, stood silently at the counter; he didn't look like someone who had come to try on clothes at all.

Living in New York, especially at night, everyone has to learn to read between the lines. Before long, the shop emptied out, leaving only mannequins in elaborate costumes standing silently in place.

This is a styling shop where customers rent glamorous outfits that are hard to find elsewhere. Professional makeup artists then style and style their clothes so they can look radiant for parties and important occasions. After the event, they return the clothes and remove their makeup.

This one-time service doesn't require buying expensive clothes or learning advanced makeup techniques, making it very popular among girls from ordinary families.

Kim Mi-won, the 28-year-old shop owner, has been running this store for five years. A Korean-American, she tried her hand at idoling at 15 but couldn't handle the secluded life and chose to return to the United States to study. After discovering she wasn't cut out for academics, she switched to studying makeup and fashion design, finding her true strengths.

She started her own business at the age of 22 and managed to make a name for herself in Flushing. In addition to running her makeup and styling shop, the tall woman also takes on modeling and photo shoot jobs. Living alone in New York is a tough job.

Because the store has many high-quality clothes, it has a long-term partnership with Hong Le Laundry, sending a batch of clothes to Hong Le for cleaning and care every week. However, in the past two years, due to the impact of the virus, business has become difficult and income has declined repeatedly.

To keep the shop afloat, Kim Mi-won fired her hired employees and, just like when she first started the business, returned to running the shop alone. As for the outstanding orders and payments, she tried to delay them as long as possible, hoping to wait until the shop was fully open and business would pick up.

Of course, she has some money, but she wants to use it for more important things.

For example, purchase new clothing to attract younger customers, and offer better cosmetics and styling services. High-interest loans must be repaid on time, or you'll face trouble. Unpaid employee wages must be paid, unless the employee is an illegal immigrant.

As for the laundry and cleaning fees owed to the dry cleaners, the repayment order is always last, since the owner of Hong Le is easy to talk to anyway.

The shop owner's wife appears fierce but is actually kind-hearted. The owner is a middle-aged man who only knows how to bow and scrape. His eldest son looks intimidating but is actually a simpleton. Every time they use a little trickery, they can get some benefits from the laundry shop and reduce the shop's expenses.

Living independently taught Kim Mi-won to be tactful and adaptable at a young age. In Flushing, the law often proved ineffective due to its high cost. Kim Mi-won understood perfectly who could be bullied and who couldn't, who could bully her and who couldn't. This was the operating order of Flushing, and also of New York.

Koreans have a unique talent for maintaining order.

So when Kim Mi-won came out of the backstage dressing room and recognized the tall, burly man standing in the store as the simple-minded boy from Hong Le Laundry, her tense heart immediately relaxed. This was someone she could bully.

She walked over in high heels, her legs clattering as she went. She had a great figure, with slender calves that looked even longer in black stockings, making it easy to look away.

Li Wei took off his mask and walked closer to Kim Mi-won, his gaze fixed on her calves with admiration. He wasn't actually looking intentionally; it's just that a man's auto-aiming system is too sensitive, and he often can't control himself.

To be honest, there aren't many good-looking girls on the streets of New York. Not to mention African Americans and Latinos, which don't fit the aesthetic, many white girls have thick legs and big butts, the kind that could burst out of their jeans.

In recent years, the United States has been promoting various aesthetic freedom movements. As long as you think you look good, anything is acceptable, leading to an increasing number of people with bizarre makeup styles and appearances. Li Wei simply can't appreciate them all. If you like them, then enjoy them.

The cheerleader who left her contact information on the street yesterday was the most beautiful girl Li Wei had seen since he traveled through time, but she still lacked a lot of charm compared to Kim Mi-won.

Perhaps it was also related to Li Wei's mood. Yesterday he was still worried about the trial, but today, after learning that he would be signed, he completely relaxed.

"Hey, is this Li Wei from Hong Le Laundry? Damn it, where are all my customers? Did you scare them all away? What are you doing here, you brat? Did you discover you like wearing women's clothes?"

As Kim Mi-won approached, a fragrant breeze wafted over. Her voice and tone were typical of Koreans, and her bossy demeanor was quite intimidating. In the past, Li Wei would have been timid and hesitant, scratching his head, unsure what to say. But now, Li Wei remained calm, first giving Kim Mi-won a thorough once-over. Her hair and makeup were quite striking, her bright red lips captivating. Her neck was long, extending down to her collarbone and then to a deep cleavage. Her breasts, while well-proportioned, were full and likely enhanced with technology.

"The makeup and styling are great, a Korean style, not the annoying American style. Asians should wear makeup that suits them. It's just that the pearl necklace is missing; if you added one, it would be perfect."

Li Wei completely ignored Jin Meiyuan's words and proceeded to praise her. This made Jin Meiyuan wary; this was different from the Li Wei she remembered. But no woman can refuse praise, especially for her appearance. Jin Meiyuan had always been confident in her looks and figure, and Li Wei's compliments made her feel smug.

"I never expected you to become so sweet-talking, silly boy! You're starting to know how to charm girls~ I do need a pearl necklace, are you going to buy one for me?"

"Yes, it's such a shame that you don't have a nice necklace, even though you have such a beautiful face and figure. So I've decided to buy you a nice pearl necklace as a gift."

Kim Mi-won had no idea what this kid was up to by suddenly coming up with all this, but since he was saying nice things, she naturally went along with it.

"Oh my, silly boy, you've grown up and need to buy your sister a present. Have you found a job yet? Do you have the money to buy it?"

Finally, the topic of money came up. Li Wei smiled and said, "I am indeed struggling to find a job. But I happen to have some money on hand, $2000, which is enough to buy my sister a very beautiful saltwater pearl necklace."

As he spoke, Li Wei pulled the $2000 bill out of his pocket and slammed it on the counter with a "bang," startling Kim Mi-won.

"Once my sister pays off these bills, I'll have money to buy her a pretty necklace."

Kim Mi-won's intuition told her that Li Wei was different from before, and that things weren't looking good today.

But her experience and pride made her scoff and laugh dismissively, turning hostile. "Damn it~ So it turns out I still have to pay back the money. You brat, look at me, I'm completely broke, I can't even afford to hire employees, and I'm about to go bankrupt because I can't pay the rent! If I had money, would I refuse to pay for laundry? I have a batch of expensive clothes to wash next week, I'll pay you back all at once! I'll just charge some interest, you think you're messing with me?"

Li Wei didn't argue with Jin Meiyuan. These were classic excuses used by debtors who didn't repay their debts. Li Wei had heard them too many times, and arguing with them was pointless.

He turned and closed the shop door, turned the "Open for Business" sign around, and pulled the roller shutter halfway down. Kim Mi-won realized something was wrong; was this guy serious? She quickly shouted inside, "Big brother, someone's here to cause trouble!"

Soon, footsteps were heard, and a burly South Korean man came out. This was Kim Mi-won's cousin.

Kim Mi-won wasn't stupid. Knowing she was in debt from her shop and that it would be dangerous for a woman to be alone, she asked her cousin to stay at the shop for her protection. This guy had tattoos on both arms, loved fitness and boxing, and was 180cm tall—he was indeed quite intimidating.

Upon seeing the burly, 2-meter-tall Li Wei, the Korean cousin didn't back down. He put his hands behind his back, bluffing, and shouted, "You eight little brats, get out of the shop! Or I'll draw my gun! Get out! Get out!"

Unexpectedly, Li Wei was not afraid at all. He took out a submachine gun from his canvas bag and pointed it at his Korean cousin.

My cousin immediately chickened out, raised his hands, and obediently surrendered, saying, "Meiyuan, pay it back if you have the money, please pay it back."

Kim Mi-won was shocked that her cousin had betrayed her so quickly and said anxiously, "I do need money! All the money's been going into buying new stock lately! Um... Victor, it's only $2000, no need for violence. Calm down, let's talk this over."

(End of this chapter)