As night deepens, in a penthouse apartment in Boston 'Back Bay.
The bedroom lights were dimly lit. Lin Qi, shirtless, leaned against the headboard, a cigarette between his fingers, the smoke rising slowly in the dim light.
Beth Finneran had just finished showering, wearing only a large men's white shirt, her short, wet hair falling loosely over her collarbone. She strode onto the bed, nestled expertly into Lin Qi's arms, grabbed his the Macallan from the bedside table, and took a sip.
Lin Qi exhaled a smoke ring and reached into the coin tray on the bedside table, pulling out a one-dollar coin.
"Bite."
Lin Qi gently slipped the still-warm coin down Beth's open shirt collar and into her deep cleavage. The cool metallic touch made Beth flinch slightly, but she didn't flinch; she simply watched him with interest.
"One dollar. This is the advance payment for legal fees." Lin Qi's fingertips lingered on her collarbone for a moment, his voice low and husky. "From this moment on, I am your client. Every word I say is protected by client privilege. Even if David Stern comes knocking with the FBI, you'll have to keep my secrets."
Beth chuckled softly. She picked up the coin with two fingers, tossed it casually beside the pillow, then rolled over and straddled Lin Qi's waist, her hands bracing against his chest.
"The confidentiality agreement is effective immediately, Mr. Client." Beth lowered her head, her warm breath brushing against Lin Qi's chin. "So, what mischief are you plotting this time, with that never-ending mind of yours?"
"I plan to buy another NBA team in the next few years." Lin Qi stubbed out his cigarette.
Beth paused for a moment, her mind beginning to consider the legal risks involved.
"You need an agent. And it can't be someone nobody." Beth nestled back against Lin Qi's chest.
"Therefore, I need a Europe tycoon who is already very wealthy and has an extremely clean resume." Lin Qi looked at her. "Does your family have a suitable candidate?"
"My cousin, Patrick," Beth casually tossed out a name, "Is a well-known real estate businessman in Ireland, with hundreds of millions of pounds in assets. A background check would be spotless."
Lin Qi nodded. In recent years, Ireland's economy has taken off, giving rise to a large number of industrial tycoons like Patrick. There have even been Ireland consortia that have begun to test the waters of acquiring Manchester United in the Premier League. Logically speaking, it makes perfect sense for an Ireland tycoon to come to the United States and buy an NBA team.
"But his current financial resources are a little lacking to fully purchase an NBA team and handle its subsequent operations..." Beth traced circles on Lin Qi's chest with her finger. "We need to legally help him out. Ireland is one of the world's largest offshore financial and tax havens; if the books are done there, no one can trace who the underlying assets belong to."
" The Celtics ' new training facility project is just a small bonus," Lin Qi immediately picked up on her train of thought. "The real big prize is the EBA's multi-billion euro sports complex and stadium renovation projects in Europe over the next few years."
"That's right." Beth's eyes lit up. "Give him all these extremely profitable EPC projects. Use these continuous, huge overseas orders to prop up his net worth to over a billion dollars."
"Sounds perfect. But why would he work for us?" Lin Qi raised an eyebrow. " Patrick is a real estate tycoon worth hundreds of millions of pounds. Once he's actually in the NBA owner's seat, there's no way he'd willingly be a puppet."
"He really doesn't care about the pay." Beth's voice carried a hint of confidence. " Lin Qi, do you think Patrick is the only one living off you? For a real estate developer, what's the scariest thing? It's having no projects; he has a whole bunch of people to support."
Beth looked up, meeting Lin Qi's eyes directly. "His real estate companies, and even the core businesses of the entire Finneran family, all depend on EBA's multi-billion euro mega-cake for the future. What you're giving him is a continuous stream of multinational engineering projects!"
"If he dares..." Beth sneered, "You won't even need to lift a finger; the old men in the family will break his legs themselves. Because if he betrays us, the entire Finneran family's livelihood for the next ten years will be ruined."
Deeply intertwined interests and monopolies are always more effective than simply buying someone off with money.
"Of course, as a double insurance," Beth nipped at Lin Qi's chin, "I will still utilize Ireland's offshore trust network to embed multiple layers of nested debt poison clauses in the initial bridge financing for his acquisition. Your money can only be used for what you allow him to do."
Using projects worth billions of euros to nurture a "NBA owner" of his own, while simultaneously locking him in with family interests and offshore trusts, was a flawless long-term investment for Lin Qi, who held four billion US dollars and controlled Lin Qi Capital.
"It seems that this one dollar in legal fees is the most worthwhile money I've ever spent in my life." A satisfied smile appeared on Lin Qi's lips. An idea that could potentially overturn the league's landscape was initially conceived in this hormone-filled bedroom.
"Don't get too excited, Mr. Client." Beth's cold, alluring eyes held an aggressive provocation. "One dollar is only enough to cover my confidentiality obligations. As for helping you legally establish this massive transnational shareholding system, how do you plan to pay me?"
Lin Qi looked at the charming lawyer, chuckled, and rolled over, pinning her beneath him.
"I'll personally compensate you for the rest."