People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Let reading always be a chapter faster than others.

Lily was ignored, but that was no surprise, because these were the coolest girls in the class, and they were entitled to this privilege.

She raised her wrist, revealing the Van Cleef & Arpels four-leaf clover necklace (Chapter 211), her little face full of anticipation:

“Dasha, Bobby, look! My dad bought me a four-leaf clover bracelet too,” she said. “Can I join your Friday sorority now? You said only those with a four-leaf clover bracelet are eligible to join…”

Dasha and Bobby finally stopped chatting. They looked down at Lily's wrist for a second, then suddenly looked at each other and burst into laughter, covering their mouths.

"Oh my God, poor Lily Cervantes, lovely Lily Cervantes," Dasha said sarcastically, "sorry, you may not know, but four-leaf clovers are already outdated."

"Don't you ever subscribe to VOGUE or follow Instagram trends?" Bobby sarcastically retorted. "Even nannies on the Upper East Side are wearing this now. It's so incredibly tacky."

"Yes, yes," Dasha said triumphantly, pulling out her phone, swiping the screen, and shoving it in front of Lily. "See this?"

On the phone screen is a tiny yet sparkling accessory—a limited-edition diamond-encrusted hourglass bag accessory from a collaboration between Balenciaga and a haute couture workshop.

"This is what the coolest girls in all of New York are scrambling for right now," Bobby boasted condescendingly. "Only those who receive a private invitation from their PR director can order one, and it costs $15000 each!"

"So beautiful..." Lily looked at the screen and asked enviously, "Did you bring any today?"

Dasha and Bobby's expressions froze.

Although Lyman Preparatory School is a top-tier private school, their parents clearly weren't wealthy enough to spend $15000 on such accessories for their 13-year-olds.

But Dasha reacted quickly. She rolled her eyes and raised her chin dismissively: "Of course we've already placed a order. It's just that the Parisian workshops need time to make it. Do you even know what haute couture is?"

"But since you're so eager to join us," Bobby's eyes lit up as he leaned closer, "it's not entirely impossible."

"Get one of these limited edition accessories for each of us," she said, "and we'll accept you into our little group."

“Yeah,” Dasha said, “Do you want to be the coolest girl too?”

"But... $15000 is really too expensive," Lily said hesitantly. "And don't you already have—"

"Huh? Is 15000 expensive? We're just giving you a chance," Dasha immediately retorted sarcastically. "You don't even have that much pocket money? You might as well go back to public school and hang out with those peasants!"

Her voice was loud enough for several people around to hear, and they all turned to look at Lily with curiosity.

Lily, on the other hand, wished she could disappear into a crack in the ground.

This scene was witnessed in its entirety by Elizabeth and Levi, who were just a few steps away.

Li Wei felt that these little brats were making a mess of things, even turning an accessory into American-style bullying.

He was just about to step forward, intending to buy Lily a whole Balenciaga outfit tomorrow, when he suddenly felt his wrist go empty.

Elizabeth's eyes turned cold, and she shoved the half-finished bottle of mulled wine she was holding into Levi's hand.

She walked over to Lily with a smile, took Lily's arm, and asked with a smile, "I heard you two talking about the Upper East Side just now?"

"Who are you?"

When Dasha and Bobby saw that adults had arrived, they immediately became alert.

"My name is Elizabeth Mellon," Elizabeth said with a smile. "I just graduated from Brillley Girls' School. I don't know if you've heard of it?"

Brillley Girls' School? Of course they'd heard of it.

This is the most prestigious K-12 full-time girls' school in all of New York and even the entire United States, a true exclusive backyard for top old-money families to cultivate socialites and elites.

If Lyman Preparatory School is a top-tier private school gatekeeper that parents can squeeze into as long as they are willing to spend money and pay tuition and sponsorship fees, then Briarley is a king whose gate cannot be pried open even if you wave tens of millions of dollars in checks.

It has consistently held a top position in the hierarchy of private schools across the United States.

It represents more than just wealth; it represents the core power, heritage, and intellectual monopoly of New York. From Caroline Kennedy to the daughters of various top tycoons, more than half of New York's truly old-money families send their daughters there to receive the most rigorous academic and elite education in the United States.

Money is not enough to get in; the interviewers will even trace back three generations of your family's history, the size of your trust fund, and your family's contributions to the arts and politics.

In comparison, Lyman was more than two classes below Brillley.

"So...so what?" Dasha puffed out her still-developing chest, trying to sound tough. "We're talking about fashion! Haute couture!"

Elizabeth turned slightly to look at the diamond-encrusted hourglass bag accessory on Dasha's phone screen.

She spoke softly and with a smile: "If this kind of industrial junk, which relies on exaggerated logos and artificial scarcity, were to be displayed in Brillley, whether it's Rockefeller, Mellon, DuPont, or Vanderbilt, anyone who would dare to hang such ostentatious and baseless scrap metal on their bag would become the laughingstock of the entire Upper East Side for three whole years from the first day they walk into the campus."

"Perhaps only nouveau riche and young girls with no artistic taste would wear labels on their bodies," she said with a smile. "Does a Rolls-Royce need stickers?"

Hearing Elizabeth mercilessly mock them as nouveau riche and tasteless, this kind of insult without using any vulgar language felt like a devastating blow, every word piercing their hearts.

Thirteen is the age when vanity is most vulnerable and the desire for recognition is strongest.

Dasha and Bobby's proud Balenciaga haute couture was mercilessly trampled underfoot by a true heiress from a top-tier wealthy family, instantly shattering their psychological defenses.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" Bobby's eyes instantly reddened, and tears fell like beads from a broken string.

Dasha cried and shouted towards the distance, "Mommy! Daddy! Someone is bullying us!"

Soon, a well-dressed middle-aged couple, covered in designer brands, stormed through the crowd.

The father was about to make a scene, but when he saw Elizabeth's Yale sweatshirt and youthful face, he paused.

He looked again and saw a tall, strong man walk over from behind Elizabeth and stand next to Elizabeth and Lily.

As a middle-aged white man in New York, how could he not know who the person in front of him was?

The tyrant of the Metropolitans, the superman of the Giants, the yellow-skinned god of the NFL, a one-man army of superstars.

Li Wei!

"I am Elizabeth Mellon," Elizabeth introduced herself with a smile. "Your daughter just asked my sister to buy each of them an accessory worth $15000, or she wouldn't be allowed to play with them. She even mocked her and told her to go play with the bumpkins from the public school."

She asked, "I'd like you to explain what 'get lost' means, and what 'mud-legged' actually means?"

Dasha's father broke out in a cold sweat.

Mellon.

He knew all too well what that surname meant in the financial circles and high society of the East Coast of America.

And yet, my own troublemaker has managed to get involved with both Levi and Mellon today?!

The middle-aged couple, who were arrogant and ready to confront the other couple a moment ago, immediately made a complete 180-degree turn in attitude.

"Miss...Miss Mellon, and Mr. Levi!" Dasha's father stammered, not even bothering to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead, his smile more like a grimace. He grabbed the still-sobding Dasha and pulled Bobby, who was standing next to her, to his side as well.

"This...this is absolutely a misunderstanding," he said. "My child has always been timid; how could he possibly say such a thing?"

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said with a smile, "maybe my ears aren't working properly."

"No, no... it's our fault for neglecting to discipline her," the father said, bowing apologetically. "I'm so sorry that your sister has been wronged."

Damn it, why are there people like Levi and Mellon at Lyman Preparatory School? He really can't figure it out no matter how hard he tries.

"Making a joke doesn't mean you can be ill-mannered, much less trample on someone else's dignity," Elizabeth said coldly. "Asking someone that their family is made in peasants—are you from an aristocratic family yourself?"

"You're right, it's our fault!" Dasha's mother, though unaware of Elizabeth and Levi's background, joined her husband in apologizing. "We'll definitely discipline them severely when we get back, cancel their credit cards, and absolutely not allow this to happen again! Quick, apologize to Lily!"

Under their parents' stern reprimands and forceful dragging, Dasha and Bobby were so frightened they didn't dare cry out loud. They were usually so domineering at school; they had never seen their all-powerful parents so subservient.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Lily..."

Then, their parents quickly dragged them away from the scene like chicks, not even bothering to take the cupcakes they had just bought, as if a man-eating monster was chasing them.

This scene was witnessed in its entirety by the other students who had been quietly observing the area.

Those are Dasha and Bobby, who are usually bossy and arrogant in class! But in front of Lily's brother and sister, they didn't dare to utter a word and were forced to apologize by their parents!

The wind direction changed instantly.

As Livy and Elizabeth led Lily to the next activity area, Lily immediately sensed the change in the gazes around her.

The girls who had previously ignored her were now filled with awe, envy, and undisguised fawning in their eyes.

The girls who had previously ignored her were now filled with awe, envy, and undisguised fawning in their eyes.

"Lily, you're so cool!"

"Lily, are you coming to the ski party next week?"

"Lily, do you remember me? We were in the same equestrian club..."

In just a few minutes, Lily went from being a marginalized nobody to becoming the most sought-after "coolest girl" in the entire grade.

Li Wei watched as Elizabeth calmly accepted the mulled wine beside him and took a sip.

"Why did you suddenly explode like that?" he asked. "That's not like you."

"Because if no one supports her," Elizabeth sighed, "she will really suffer."