People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 334 Li Wei, stay behind (Seeking monthly votes)

When Li Wei occasionally felt that he was already quite wealthy, two people would inadvertently remind him:

You still need to practice.

One of them was Anya, and the other was Elizabeth.

Levi suspects that even members of the Mellon family themselves don't know exactly how much wealth the Mellon family has.

"You mean," he said, glancing at the side of the road as he drove, "that whole row of houses on the Upper East Side belongs to you?"

“Not just this row,” Elizabeth pointed to the passenger side, “there’s this row too.”

"It seems there are over 100 houses on the Upper East Side belonging to the Mellon family," she said somewhat uncertainly. "But I haven't looked into the specifics, because it had nothing to do with me before, and it doesn't even have anything to do with my grandfather's lineage. You know, there are just too many people in the Mellon family..."

'

"Okay," Levi paused, "I hate rich people."

"Don't say that, it's all left over from before," Elizabeth said with a smile, pointing in a direction, "Here."

Cullinan made a turn and stopped in front of an unassuming mansion on the Upper East Side.

When the Cullinan came to a stop, Levi and Elizabeth happened to run into Timothy Mellon and his son Charlie Mellon, as well as a woman Levi didn't recognize, presumably Timothy's wife.

The two groups exchanged glances, tacitly refraining from greeting each other, and instead treating each other as if they were invisible, heading towards the gate.

The security guard opened the door, and a servant led the two groups of people into the elevator, one after the other.

The elevator was incredibly awkward. The Timothy family was pressed together on one side, while Levi and Elizabeth were pressed together on the other, leaving a space in the middle.

Li Wei glanced at Charlie Mellon, whose complexion was now no different from that of a normal person, and suddenly asked, "How's Charlie Mellon's drug rehabilitation going? I heard the blood transfusion is quite painful, isn't it?"

Charlie Mellon's expression changed instantly. He glared at Levi and was about to speak when the elevator arrived with a "ding-dong." Alexander Mellon, who was taking a walk with his caregiver, happened to be at the door.

Timothy Mellon quickly grabbed Charlie Mellon and told him to shut up.

"Father! Happy 81st birthday!" Timothy Mellon walked towards Alexander and hugged him. "Charlie... Charlie!"

"Happy birthday, Grandpa," Charlie Mellon could only swallow his anger for the time being and forced a smile. "God bless you."

"You look like you'd love for me to die tomorrow," Alexander Mellon said, scrutinizing Charlie Mellon's expression.

"I...I didn't...fuck!" Charlie Mellon opened his mouth, unsure how to explain.

"I yelled at him on his way here, so he's in a bad mood," Timothy Mellon quickly tried to smooth things over, holding up the bag in his hands. "This is a birthday present for you."

"Oh, let me see what my eldest son gave me," Alexander said, unwrapping Timothy's gift in front of everyone. "A watch."

“Yes, this is a Patek Philippe,” Timothy Mellon said. “And it’s a Patek Philippe Comet series watch, produced 81 years ago. Only 12 of these 1545 models were ever made. I acquired it from a collector in Geneva.”

"Oh," Alexander Mellon took the watch, opened it, and looked at it. "I see."

His expression made it look as if this was a loaf of bread produced 81 years ago.

"Its existence is a reminder of how many years have passed and a testament to how incredibly wealthy you are," Timothy Mellon said with a smile.

"Thank you for telling me all this," Alexander Mellon chuckled, "otherwise I would still be in the dark."

Timothy Mellon's expression suddenly turned somewhat awkward.

He clenched his fists, managing a forced smile, just like Charlie Mellon.

"Anyway," Alexander Mellon casually placed the watch on a small table by the door, "thank you, you're very thoughtful."

Timothy Mellon breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled his wife and son toward the living room.

Elizabeth and Levi also stepped forward and presented their respective birthday gifts.

Livy's gift was neither particularly good nor bad, and Alexander said nothing about it.

But when it was Elizabeth's turn, his expression clearly changed.

"A photo album," Alexander said, flipping through it. "What's inside? Whose photos are they?"

“These are all photos of you and me,” Elizabeth said. “Most of them were taken more than a decade ago.”

"Phoenix just likes to mess around with these things, art, photography, antiques and stuff," Alexander scoffed. "He's not doing anything productive, and he doesn't even give his daughter anything of practical value."

"Give it to me, sir." The caregiver tried to take the photo album from Alexander's hands.

However, Alexander waved his hand, clutching the photo album to his chest, and continued walking forward.

Instead, he placed the million-dollar Patek Philippe on the table, no longer arousing any interest in it.

Levi and Elizabeth arrived in the first drawing room and sat diagonally opposite the Timothy family.

Li Wei was quite surprised to find that the living room of this house, in terms of both the overall color scheme and the style of the furniture, seemed to be exactly the same as the large and extravagant manor on Long Island.

If it weren't for the different scenery outside, Li Wei would have thought he had come to the same place.

Charlie Mellon looked at Levi, who was gazing out the window, and wanted to say something. But after noticing his father's gaze, he swallowed his anger.

Levi withdrew his gaze and gave Charlie Mellon a smile.

If he hadn't overheard Alexander standing at the door through the elevator, he wouldn't have chosen that moment to speak; he did it on purpose.

The two groups stared at each other in silence, neither bothering to utter a word.

Good morning, you idiots.

The elevator doors opened again, and Alistair's voice came first, followed by his body.

When everyone turned around, they discovered that the person he was with was none other than Amanda, the call girl.

"Alistair, today is Father's birthday. I think we shouldn't bring any shady characters to the event."

Timothy Mellon was talking to Alistair, but his eyes were fixed on Levi.

"Sorry, Li Wei, no offense intended. I didn't mean to say you're a shady person," he said.

“That’s right,” Levi nodded. “I suggest we install a scanner at the entrance to prevent people from bringing drugs in. What do you think, Mr. Timothy Mellon?”

"Hey!! Don't drag me into this," Alistair jumped onto the sofa and then sprawled out like a lump of mud. "I recently met a new friend who brought me a lot of good stuff. Anyone want to try it?"

"Shut up, Alistair," Timothy sighed. "Where's Beatrice? When will she arrive?"

“I just saw her downstairs,” Alistair said, raising his hand with a serious expression. “I got into the elevator before her; she should still be parking.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the elevator doors opened for the third time, and Beatrice stormed in angrily.

"I swear I'll kill you, Alistair," she roared like a lioness, "You did that on purpose!"

.

Although she had tidied herself up, dust was still visible on her clothes, as if she had been bumped by Alistair.

"Sorry, you're the last one to arrive," Alistair mouthed a "brbrbr" sound effect, "You lost."

Beatrice Mellon punched Alistair hard in the shoulder, making him cry out in pain.

"Oh dear! I'm not ready for SM yet!" He looked at Beatrice with displeasure. "We need to set up safe words first!"

"You're insane," Beatrice said, only noticing Amanda beside Alistair after she'd finished hitting him. Her gaze towards Alistair grew even more disgusted. "Are you sure you took drugs?"

"Still got my kicks, sister, still got my kicks," Alistair said carelessly, rubbing his shoulder. "Where's your boyfriend? Why didn't you bring him this time?"

"He has something to do, something serious," Beatrice said casually, glancing at Amanda. "Unlike your girlfriend, who works every night."

Amanda gave an awkward laugh.

Li Wei was somewhat curious, though. At the last Christmas family dinner, Elizabeth's uncles and aunts were still able to maintain a semblance of decorum.

But just four months later, things have become so tense.

He turned to look at Elizabeth, only to find that she was already used to it, and immediately understood.

Although everyone was under the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, they were doing different things and had no interaction with each other.

On the other hand, Timothy Mellon's position as successor seemed unshakeable at the time, and Beatrice and Alistair had no other intentions.

But now, they're all on the same Freeport project. Although Elizabeth holds the second-largest stake, she's the junior, and the successor will actually have to be chosen from among the three of them. Timothy's position has already been reduced to its lowest point, and conflicts and friction are bound to arise between Alistair, Beatrix, and others.

Li Wei couldn't help but glance in the direction Alexander had disappeared. Had he arranged it this way on purpose?

"Lunch is ready," a maid said, breaking the silence and awkwardness. "Please follow me."

Everyone got up, left the first reception room, and entered the dining area.

Upon entering the restaurant, Li Wei became even more certain of his idea: the restaurant's layout, tableware brand, and types were exactly the same as those at the Christmas dinner.

"Your family's style seems quite consistent," he remarked casually as he pulled out a chair for Elizabeth.

"What? Oh," Elizabeth finally realized, turning her head to say, "Grandfather's places are all in a uniform style. He has a dedicated team that sets up his rooms before he travels."

Alexander didn't seem to like cakes or anything like that. Even though it was his birthday, it seemed to him just like any other ordinary day.

Raise a glass, give a toast, eat, remain silent, it's over.

After the meal, Alexander announced: "Let's meet again. I have something to announce."

"I'm going out now," Timothy's wife said to him. "I don't really like this kind of scene."

Amanda didn't move until she noticed everyone's eyes were on her. Then she realized what was happening, stood up, and left the room.

Li Wei was also preparing to get up and leave. After all, he was an outsider, and since it was a family matter, it was inconvenient to let him listen in.

"Wait, Li Wei, you stay too," Alexander suddenly spoke up, "It's related to you too."

"Does this concern me too?" Li Wei pointed to himself.

Timothy paused, and Alistair glanced at the crowd.

Elizabeth was also somewhat surprised.

"Are you going to propose to Liz?" Alistair said. "Are you going to surprise us? And get our blessings?"

"If you keep causing trouble, you'll be going out with that prostitute you brought," Beatrice said. "Shut your mouth, Alistair, this is serious business."

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