Chapter 394: New Client
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“You’re a coach?” Taylor looked at Dai Li suspiciously.
In the US, the coaching industry was predominantly white. Americans’ impression of Asians was that they weren’t good at sports, so Asians working in the coaching industry was extremely rare.
“Forget it.” Taylor shook his head. “Even if you were a coach, I don’t have the money to pay you. With my current situation, I can’t even spare a single cent.”
“If it’s training fees, you can pay on credit. You can pay me after you’ve earned money,” Dai Li said with a grin.
“Buy on credit? Is that okay?” Taylor asked as he widened his eyes.
Buying on credit was unpopular amongst Americans, as they calculated everything clearly. Personal financial accounts were separated and calculated clearly, even if two people were parent and child. For example, if you treated someone to a ten dollar meal today, then the other person would definitely treat you back to a ten dollar meal the next day, not a single cent more, and not a single cent less. What’s more, American’s didn’t feel that this exchange was inappropriate to be used with friends. Although Americans were used to credit cards, and every American owed the bank money, when it came to transactions between individuals, buying things on credit was very rare.
On this, Dai Li clearly still had not gotten used to American culture. He answered, “Of course you can pay on credit. Besides, you won’t be the first athlete to pay on credit at my place.”
“Other people pay for training on credit as well?” Taylor asked curiously.
“Yeah. ‘Blade warrior’ Barron Phillip, you know him, right? He trained at my place. He didn’t have money when he first came to me, since he was working part-time and living on government aid. He didn’t have money to pay for training,” Dai Li answered.
Taylor’s expression went from curious to shocked. “You’re really the blade warrior’s coach?”
Dai Li did not stay focused on that question and instead said, “Back then, Phillip was in a much worse situation than you. He was a disabled person who had lost both legs, and he could only walk using his prostheses. But even then, he worked hard so that he could run like a normal person.”
“I know about him. These days, sports media keep reporting about him. Who would have thought that he trained at your place,” Taylor said while nodding.
“How about it? Do you have a little more confidence in me now?” Dai Li smiled and continued, “But more importantly, you should have faith in yourself. You need to believe that you can return to your peak.”
“I am…” Taylor suddenly stopped. He clearly didn’t have the courage to say the last word, “confident.”
“I told you just now, you have no other choice. If you still want to clear your debt, if you still want to live with pride, boxing is your only option. I don’t think Angie would want to see you living on the streets now, would he?” Dai Li said.
After the mention of the deceased Angie, Taylor finally nodded. However, Dai Li still felt that somehow, Taylor still had some concern hidden within his heart.
…
Coach Lee’s Physical Fitness Training Center.
Dai Li glared at Chris Payton, who had just been released, and said in a severe tone, “Chris, I want an explanation.”
Of course, Chris Payton knew what Dai Li was talking about. Dai Li had lunch with him, got caught by the police along with him, and was only released on the following morning.
Chris Payton was held longer. It was only because the police couldn’t find proof that he had committed any crime that he was ultimately released.
“Sorry boss, I’ve caused you trouble,” Chris Payton said apologetically. His face twitched as he struggled a little, but in the end, he began describing his family background.
In the middle of the last century, American society was in a period of chaos. After the end of the second world war, and at the beginning of the cold war, especially after the Cuban missile crisis, the fear and panic amongst American citizens reached its peak. At the same time, many younger Americans developed a new set of values utterly different than those of their parents’ generation. Students began to participate more in political protests, feminism began to rise, and the black community also started to demand equality.
All sorts of open ideas began to ferment, then permeated into every corner of people’s lives. The civil rights movement, the feminist movement, the anti-war movement, the anti-cultural movement, the sexual liberation movement… American citizens of that period were very busy.
And these changes greatly impacted the thinking of some of the more traditionally conservative and religious people. As these new ideas emerged, the number of social activities on conservatism also increased. The social unrest which resulted from the strife between the two opposing social classes created the breeding ground for the development of gangs. Although it wasn’t comparable to the golden age of the US underworld in the thirties, it in that short period of time, tens of thousands of gangs were formed. In large cities such as New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, gangs were everywhere.
Chris Payton’s grandfather had seized that chance. At first, he was only a biker, riding a heavy motorbike like in the movies. It was a unique culture in the US during the second world war. During those days, bikers weren’t necessarily gangsters, they simply belonged to a club for motorbike lovers.
However, under the leadership of Payton’s grandfather, a group of bikers in Los Angeles gradually became gangsters. They were involved in selling drugs, extortion, intimidation, and theft. Although one couldn’t say that they committed every evil deed out there, the number of crimes they had committed wasn’t low.
After the death of Payton’s grandfather, his father became the leader of the gang. For decades, the scale of the gang wasn’t massive; they only occupied a single territory in Los Angeles. They were still several levels down from the mafia gangs depicted in the movie “The Godfather.”
Chris Payton grew up in a gangster environment. If everything went as planned, Chris Payton would have become a gang member like his two older brothers.
However, Chris Payton was never interested in that. He loved football, and he wanted to become a football player. So while his two brothers went everywhere with revolvers in hand, he was running all over the field with a football in his hand.
But his gangster background had also given him a lot of trouble. Ever since he was a little kid, Chris Payton was always regarded as a dangerous person by his school, and because of his family background, good universities were unwilling to admit him.
In the end, Chris Payton went to an average university. He hadn’t had much of a choice. He wanted to become a football player, but if he failed to enroll in a more reputable school, he would not only miss his chance at getting top-class training, it would alo be tougher to garner the attention of scouts. As a result, his chance for taking part in the NFL draft was extremely low.
And the reality was just that. Although he was a key player during his university years, nobody paid any attention to him when he took part in the NFL draft. That was why he only played in a low-level football league for a few years before retiring.
Chris Payton blamed it all on his gangster family. So after getting into university, he rarely came into contact with his family. Apart from Christmas or other special occasions, he rarely ever went home.
Despite that, he was still a target for the police. He was caught, questioned, released, and then monitored. The police hoped to gain clues on his father and two brothers from him. Although everything had been to no avail, Chris Payton was still suspected by the police.
“That means you were also innocently dragged into this?” Dai Li asked.
Chris Payton nodded. “If I were really guilty, the police wouldn’t have released me.”
“Alright, I understand. Let’s get back to work,” Dai Li said in a carefree manner.
Payton however, looked hesitant. He asked, “I’ve caused you so much trouble, do you still want me to work here?”
“Why not? Did you think that I would fire you?” Dai Li asked him in return.
“I’ve worked under three bosses. All of them fired me. They believed that I was also a gang member. But they weren’t as unlucky as you; they did not have to stay overnight at the police station.” Payton sighed and continued, “Li, I’ve prepared myself mentally for you to fire me.”
“Alright. Stop overthinking. What matters to me is your work ability, not your family background. Besides, getting locked up in the police station might have been a disaster in disguise, since I got us a huge business deal.” Dai Li looked at his watch as he said, “Based on our appointment time, that client should be here soon.”