American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote-Chapter 45 - 42: This Soft Rice Might Be a Little Hard
"And who is Elizabeth Mellon?"
Li Wei and Emma, walking at the very back, entered the shop together.
"The name Elizabeth isn’t unusual, but Mellon is," Emma said after a moment’s thought, offering Li Wei an example. "Carnegie Mellon University, ever heard of it?"
Li Wei nodded.
Carnegie Mellon University was a top-tier university in the United States of America, consistently ranked in the top 30, with its computer science and data science programs perennially in the global top 5.
"Her Mellon is *that* Mellon," Emma said gravely. "Likewise, there’s a bank on Wall Street called The New York Mellon Bank, with over 20 trillion USD in assets under custody."
The mention of this reminded Li Wei of something he’d learned in history class. In 1929, the United States of America was hit by the largest economic crisis in the history of capitalism. Back then, American farms destroyed "surplus" products by dumping milk directly into the Mississippi River.
A nursery rhyme was even popular in New York at the time: "Mellon pulls the whistle, Hoover rings the bell. Wall Street gives the signal, and America goes to Hell!"
’Her Mellon is *that* Mellon?!’
"And you want me to be her sugar baby?" Li Wei’s eyes widened. "Are you kidding me?"
Emma looked a little embarrassed. "I only heard about it from Lady Delores after work this evening. Besides, she’s here to rent a necklace, not buy one. Kids from these wealthy families just get a monthly allowance from a trust fund. I originally thought she was new money, not a true old money heiress."
"This sugar baby gig might be a tough nut to crack. These rich girls are always hard to deal with," she then fretted on Li Wei’s behalf. "Oh, how are you going to win her over?"
"Well, if I somehow offend her," Li Wei said casually, "you’ll probably find me downstream in the Mississippi River the next day."
"It’s not a guarantee," Emma said, patting him with a grin. "Fortune favors the bold, you know."
The two of them followed, one after the other, keeping their distance behind Elizabeth and Lady Delores.
Upon reaching the second floor, the lights throughout the shop were dimmed, and the doors and windows were shut tight.
Elizabeth Mellon sat in the VIP room, with Lady Delores keeping her company.
Before her sat five open safes, each containing a full set of magnificent jewelry nestled against black velvet.
"This ruby coronet is from 19th-century Saint Petersburg, said to be a former part of the Tsarina’s collection; and this set is a Victorian Era sapphire necklace..."
Lady Delores’s voice echoed on the quiet second floor, a stark contrast to Elizabeth’s slightly furrowed brow.
"Lady Delores, this is too difficult," she sighed. "You’re truly too good at this. Your taste is impeccable; every single set is exactly what I love."
Suddenly, a quest panel popped up in Li Wei’s mind, notifying him that he had received a new quest.
[You have received the quest: The Princess’s Dilemma]
[As a Knight, you must assist Princess Elizabeth Mellon in making her choice.]
[Quest Reward: 0.1 Free Attribute Points]
’Although this quest looks good, I’m still a bit hesitant. I don’t want to accept it.’
’This Elizabeth Mellon seems to have a frighteningly powerful background. I doubt someone like her would be attracted to my face and physique.’
’Besides, if I attract her attention, it could lead to unnecessary trouble down the line.’
This was a real American old money family, not some black high school coach or a street punk.
’The 0.1 attribute points aren’t worth it. I’ll probably get them in the next quest anyway. No need to get myself tangled up in trouble. After all, I’m not the bulletproof Captain America or the panties-on-the-outside Superman. I can’t survive an American-style quick-draw.’
As Li Wei thought this, he quietly took a step back. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"The Mellon Art Exhibition Hall in Brooklyn is opening next month, isn’t it? What’s the opening theme?" Lady Delores asked. "Perhaps I could offer you some suggestions?"
"It’s ’The Remodeling of Light and Shadow.’ After all, I’m starting in the art department at Yale next year, so my grandfather gave me an exhibition hall to mess around with," Elizabeth said, her fingers casually picking up the ruby coronet to examine it closely. "But I really can’t decide. I only get so much money from my trust each month. Even renting, I can only afford one set..."
"In that case, I recommend this sapphire set. Its blue isn’t of the highest purity, but that will, in turn, accentuate the deeper blue of your eyes..."
Just as Dolores was about to offer further advice, the sound of hurried footsteps approached.
A security guard who had been posted at the entrance appeared at the top of the stairs, holding Lady Delores’s phone and waving it in front of her.
Lady Delores frowned and met his gaze several times. When she saw he still wouldn’t leave, she took a deep breath and looked at Elizabeth with a hint of apology in her eyes.
"My sincerest apologies, Miss Elizabeth," she said. "Please allow me to take this call."
"I told you, just call me Liz," Elizabeth said with a sweet smile. "Work is important. I’m fine to just sit here for a bit."
"Then I’ll have one of my employees assist you with your selection. If there are any other clothes or jewelry you like, please feel free to choose them," Lady Delores said. "Consider it my apology for having to step away so suddenly."
Her gaze swept over Li Wei, Emma, and two other sales associates before she said, "Li Wei is one of our best employees. Let him take my place."
’This is bad!’
Li Wei’s heart skipped a beat.
During his time working part-time, many regular customers already had their preferred sales associates, so the shop usually only assigned new customers to Li Wei.
And almost every time, he was able to use his [Smooth Talker] skill to persuade them, convincing them to buy item after item and leave a tip. As a result, in Lady Delores’s eyes, he had become a capable, eloquent, and outstanding employee.
With everyone’s eyes on him, Li Wei had no choice but to bite the bullet. He walked over to Elizabeth’s side and half-knelt, his line of sight slightly below hers.
"You look about my age, yet you’re already an outstanding employee?" Elizabeth offered a sweet smile. "That’s really impressive. Have you graduated from high school?"
"I’m still in school, 12th grade," Li Wei said. "Over in Brooklyn."
However, whether it was due to a lack of interest, having never heard of his school, or simply because the polite small talk had served its purpose, Elizabeth didn’t say anything more.
She returned her attention to the necklaces before her. It seemed she had narrowed her choice down from five sets to two and was now struggling to decide between them.
Logically, the blue set would be more suitable for an old money heiress like Elizabeth—understated, reserved, and not flashy.
But for some reason, perhaps a gut feeling, Li Wei believed Elizabeth might actually prefer the Tsarina’s ruby coronet.
Finally, he decided to try using his [Smooth Talker] skill and offered his advice:
"Miss Elizabeth," Li Wei began, "I would recommend you choose the ruby coronet after all."
Elizabeth had been unconsciously toying with the pendant on the sapphire necklace. At his words, she looked up, a trace of curiosity flashing in her crystal-clear blue eyes. "Oh? Lady Delores just said the sapphires would better complement my eye color. Why do you think the red is better?"
"While I agree that the blue suits you very well," Li Wei said, "I think you personally might like the red more. And what you yourself like is what’s most important."
Hearing Li Wei’s words, Elizabeth was suddenly amused.
"I actually think the blue would suit me better," she said, blinking her eyes, which were an even deeper blue than the sapphires. "But I really do like this ruby coronet more. Your intuition is spot on."
She nodded to the chauffeur behind her, who stepped forward, closed the safe containing the ruby coronet, and picked it up.
[Quest: The Princess’s Dilemma has been completed.]
[Reward Acquired: 0.1 Attribute Points]
"Hmm... I’m sorry, but I won’t be leaving a tip this time," she said with a gentle smile. "Forgive my rudeness."
"I’ll remember you, Li Wei," she said. "I’ll look for you next time I come to buy something."
