People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 413 Social Etiquette (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Sofia invited us to some kind of dinner party?"

Li Wei looked at Anya, who had just finished showering and was wrapped in a bath towel, and asked.

"The annual beneficiary dinner of the Frick Collection," Anya stuffed her towel, went to the refrigerator to get a drink, and sat back down. "She and her husband are probably trying to use me to get involved with both you and Liz at the same time."

"Oh?" Li Wei asked, "Is there something else I need to do?"

“Of course,” Anya patted her face. “Now my face is your golden ticket. Not only Sophia, but her husband also needs that stuff you give me to drink.”

"Water of the Spirits," Levi said casually, "that's what I plan to call it."

"That's quite accurate," Anya thought for a moment, "Do you know who the second largest consumer group is among the high-end clients of cosmetic clinics?"

"It's not a politician, is it?" Li Wei said. "Since you've said it yourself, I guess it is a politician."

"You got it right! As a reward, you can sleep with me tonight," Anya said with a smile, holding her iced drink to cool her face. "Politicians are the most looks-obsessed people besides celebrities. She's hoping her husband can advance her career even further. I feel like you should stop mass-producing this 'Fairy Water' for now, or maybe it would be better for LW's development to cater specifically to wealthy wives, socialites, and politicians."

Li Wei thought for a moment and nodded: "We can't expand production right now, but this is definitely a viable route for this product."

Q

Politicians are actually the second largest consumer group for cosmetic procedures, which is something Li Wei never expected.

But on second thought, it seems to make sense.

When Americans vote, how many people actually study the politicians' actions carefully? In fact, more than half of voters admit that they are more likely to vote for a politician because of their appearance.

If the Fairy Water were only sold in limited quantities or given away without being sold, it might actually attract and befriend a large number of politicians, celebrities, and socialites. Li Wei is confident in the Fairy Water; in just two months, they will no longer be able to endure the pain of every cosmetic procedure and facial.

Li Wei had asked about it before, and many cosmetic procedures are actually like torture. For example, microneedling involves rolling a fine spiked club on the face to pierce the dermis and promote cell regeneration. Just thinking about it is terrifying, not to mention the recovery period, which can be as short as 3 days or as long as a week.

If there were a product that could eliminate the pain of having sex twice a month simply by drinking it, and with even better results, Li Wei doesn't think anyone could resist such a thing.

"As for this annual beneficiary dinner, I asked Liz about it when I got back," Anya began to cool down her other cheek, "she'll be there too, because the Frick family and the Mellon family were both from Pittsburgh before their decline, and now the Mellon Foundation is sponsoring the Frick Collection."

"It just depends on whether you want to go or not," Anya said, feeling her face had tightened up a lot. She put down her drink. "I suggest you go see her. Sister Sophia isn't a bad person; she just likes to build connections."

"Go ahead," Li Wei thought for a moment, "Since they've invited you, it wouldn't be right for me not to go."

After all, the mission of "luring the snake out of its hole" is not over yet, and more social interaction may yield some other clues.

"Darling..." Anya was touched. "Come on, come inside with me. Let me reward you properly tonight."

Two days later, at Fifth Avenue, Section 70, the Frick Collection.

It was a very small-scale dinner party, which looked very low-key and reserved. There was no overwhelming media presence or security guards. There was just a small red carpet and a registration area after driving into the fence.

After entering the banquet hall in the garden courtyard, Li Wei and Anya arrived at an indoor courtyard completely surrounded by classical stone pillars. The dome was a transparent glass skylight, and the moonlight and ambient lighting intertwined, casting soft light and shadow on the limestone walls.

This is a good environment, Li Wei thought to himself. He released the [Jester's Skull], and it seemed like there was a chance to trigger some quests.

There weren't many people present, only about six or seven tables and forty or fifty people in total. Everyone was dressed in black formal attire, while the women wore dark evening gowns.

The average age of the participants here is at least 50 years old, and the pair of Li Wei and Anya has attracted a lot of attention.

However, compared to the commotion caused by Elizabeth's side, these are nothing.

She sat at a round table in the very center, standing up almost every minute to greet people who came by. Even so, quite a few people stood a little further away, and Ziguang never looked away from her.

As the chair of the Mellon Foundation, she is attending today as an institutional representative, representing the main sponsor.

Elizabeth saw Levi and Anya, nodded to them, and made a gesture that said, "I'll come find you later."

The two sat down at a table with their own nameplates, next to Sofia and a handsome, mild-mannered white man who looked to be about 40 years old.

No wonder Sofia still hopes her husband can go further and become a senator by the age of 40. Even if he doesn't want to, the people around him will try to push him to go further.

When the senator saw Levi, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he gave a standard politician's smile, shaking hands with Levi: "Marcus, Marcus Whitfield," he said, "I am Sophia's husband."

"Li Wei." Li Wei shook hands with him.

"Marcus is one of the youngest senators in the Senate," Sofia introduced. "He is currently in business,

Members of the Science and Transportation Committee, I'm sure you'll have a lot in common.

"I believe so," Marcus Whitfield said with a smile, patting Levi on the shoulder. "I watch Levi's matches often, and I was upset for days after I learned he was taking a break."

"You're too kind," Levi said with a smile. "Becoming a senator at the age of 40 is an extremely remarkable achievement. Kennedy became a senator at the age of 37, and later he became president."

When he heard the word "president," Marcus Whitfield's eyes flickered, but he still smiled gently: "My greatest achievement is marrying the love of my life, my wife. She is the most precious gift God has given me."

"Old fox," Li Wei thought.

The [Jester's Skull] also satirized:

As the saying goes, a speaker who doesn't aspire to be the king isn't a good member of parliament...

This kind of person is perfect for navigating the palace. He talks about love... but his mind is full of schemes. He reminds me of several of my friends in the palace... Hehehe.

However, such people wield considerable power and know some secrets, so there's no harm in cultivating a good relationship with them.

But I'm not really interested in currying favor with him, Li Wei thought. What I'm pursuing is improving my strength.

Although a senator wields considerable power, Levi is not intimidated by him, and even if Marcus were to have a chance to run for president in the future, that would be more than a decade from now.

"By then I'll already be God," Li Wei thought.

Interacting with people is an art, my knight master.

No matter how strong you are, you're still just a person. Have you forgotten how much effort it took to slay the golden dragon?

Li Wei remained noncommittal, while the "Jester's Skull" fluttered up and down, trying to persuade him.

The system then popped up:

You have been given a task: Social Etiquette.

The jester's skull disagrees with you, believing you need to improve your social etiquette, and you need to prove him right.

[Mission Objective: To make the senator's daughter, the banker's daughter, and the daughter of the Highlord of the North feel your goodwill.]

[Task Reward: 0.1 Free Attribute Points]

It's not that it's impossible! Anyone can say nice things.

After a few casual words about everyday matters, Sophia suddenly brought up Levi's Fairy Water again, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally.

"Speaking of which," Sophia said, holding her wine glass and glancing at Levi seemingly casually but actually quite deliberately, "when will that product Anya mentioned to me last time be available? Marcus also mentioned it recently..."

"Darling," Marcus Whitfield interrupted her in a firm tone.

Sophia realized this wasn't the right time to talk about this, so she shut her mouth.

Li Wei didn't let the situation get too awkward and took the initiative to pick up the subject: "The water of the spirits is still in the research and development stage, with extremely low production. The production cycle for each batch is very long, and the raw materials are also scarce—to be honest, I haven't even drunk it much myself."

"That's a pity." Sophia's smile visibly stiffened.

Li Wei thought for a moment, then changed the subject, looking at Anya and saying with a smile, "However, Anya keeps nagging me about how good Sophia is to her and how much she takes care of her. As her boyfriend, I can't let her owe her a favor."

"I'll have the lab send some people," Li Wei said. "Once the next batch is produced, I'll have someone deliver it to your home as a small token of our appreciation."

Sofia's eyes lit up instantly, and she instinctively grabbed Anya's hand and thanked her.

Marcus Whitfield raised his glass and gave Levi a slight nod.

While Marcus and Sophia were meeting people at another table, Anya leaned close to Levi's ear and said in a wet voice, "You don't have to do this, you don't have to go for me."

"It's not for you," Li Wei said, "it's for us."

Anya stared at him for two seconds, then muttered softly, "You're really something."

"If you're touched," Levi pressed, "what I said before, about being with Liz—"

"You wish," Anya rolled her eyes at him, but a smile played on her lips. "It hasn't been long, and you're already dreaming."

Li Wei chuckled softly.

[Task: Social Etiquette Completed]

You've demonstrated your social charm, and the Jester's Skull's admiration for you has only deepened.

You have gained 0.1 free attribute points.

The banquet was in its middle stages when, after the formal speeches and auction, a time for free conversation began.

People stood up from their seats, holding their wine glasses, and gathered in twos and threes in the corridor, by the fountain, and among the statues, talking in hushed tones.

Li Wei found Elizabeth in a corner at the edge of the garden courtyard.

She let go of the standard smile she had maintained all night and was gently rubbing her face.

"How was it?" Li Wei walked over. "How did it feel to appear for the first time as the chairman of the foundation?"

"My face is stiff from smiling so much, it feels like I've been doing squats all night," Elizabeth rubbed her cheeks. "Everyone is testing me, like whether the foundation's future funding direction will change, my relationship with my grandfather, my relationship with my Uncle Ronan, and so on."

She wore a very mature and composed makeup look today, obviously to downplay her age. Her clothing also followed a mature and sophisticated style, making her look very dignified.

Suddenly, Elizabeth looked around.

"Since no one's around now," she looked up at Li Wei and pleaded pitifully, "could you give me a shoulder massage? My shoulders are so sore."

The sense of authority was shattered instantly. Li Wei chuckled, walked behind her, activated [Knight's Light (Silver)], and gently massaged Elizabeth's shoulders.

Elizabeth felt a familiar sensation return, and she sighed deeply, as if her soul had been pulled away for a moment and then plummeted.

"You used that again?" she said. "Don't use it so often, it's bad for your health..."

'

"Using it occasionally is fine," Li Wei said without further explanation.

After a while, Elizabeth felt like she could punch a bull to death; her boundless energy returned.

She stood up and said, "There are still a few people I haven't finished greeting. I'll go and deal with them again."

Elizabeth turned and walked a few steps, then turned back, and when no one was around, she pressed Levi's head down and kissed him.

"What if you get caught like this?" Li Wei asked in surprise.

"Who would dare to find out? The Mellon Foundation is the financial backer of more than half the people here," Elizabeth said with a smile. "Let's go."

Li Wei glanced at the time and stepped forward, saying, "Let me go out with you."

The two reappeared before everyone. After they parted, Li Wei had just walked to the central courtyard of the garden, trying to find Anya.

"Mr. Li Wei?" a voice came from the side.

Li Wei turned around, and a man of about 50 years old walked towards him. He was in good shape, with a face that was angular but not sharp, and most of his hair was gray.

“My name is Gary DuPont,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m a board member of the Longwood Foundation.”

A smile appeared on Li Wei's face; the main character had appeared.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. DuPont."