People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 92 Are We Friends Now? (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"You live here?"

As soon as Catherine entered, she arrogantly commented on Don Quixote's house on Bell Ridge, "I thought you had turned your life around, but this house looks just so-so."

Don Quixote stood at the door, making no attempt to invite her in for a cup of tea.

In fact, if he had a teapot on hand, he would most likely have splashed a cup of tea directly onto Catherine's face.

As soon as Lily entered the room, she shrank behind Don Quixote, clutching his trousers tightly, peeking out half her head to look at Catherine.

"Get to the point," Don Quixote said coldly. "If you're here to argue, don't do it in front of the children."

Catherine waved her nose dismissively, as if the air here reeked of poverty. She glanced disdainfully at the old furniture and cramped layout of the room, her gaze finally settling on Don Quixote's faded shirt.

"Tch, I'd rather not come to a place like this than have my dress dirty," Catherine said smugly. "After all, we'll soon be from two different worlds."

"Are you going to die?" Don Quixote said. "Thank God, this is the best Christmas present I could ever have."

"Stop with that wicked look." Catherine wasn't angry at all. Instead, she seemed to have heard a joke. She casually flicked her curly hair behind her ear, deliberately letting the huge diamond ring on her ring finger reflect a dazzling light under the lamp.

"I didn't expect you to understand, after all, you're not the same person you were in your early thirties anymore," she looked at Don Quixote with an almost pitying gaze, "I'm getting married, right after Christmas."

"With whom?" Don Quixote scoffed. "With that trust manager you've only known for two weeks?"

"Lily, you really do tell me everything," Catherine said. "For truly compatible souls, time is never an issue. Robert Anderson isn't like you; he's someone who truly understands me."

""

"If he didn't have money, you would have kicked him out long ago," Don Quixote retorted. "Just like you married me back then because you were after my money. You were much better at acting when you signed the divorce papers, crying and saying you'd let me sign it and I'd take on all the debts, and you'd get the house and cash, so you could support me if I went bankrupt. You're quite the schemer. Good luck to your future husband."

“It’s ridiculous that you’re comparing yourself to Lolo,” Catherine said. “He’s the only person who has ever understood me all these years. We both love the California sun—he’s already found a beach house in Santa Barbara and promised to start a new life with me.”

As she spoke, a look of rapture appeared on her face, as if she could already smell the sea breeze blowing from the Pacific Ocean.

"You can't even imagine how generous he is," Catherine boasted. "Yesterday on Fifth Avenue, I only glanced at this $4 ring a couple of times, and he swiped his card without batting an eye. You wouldn't even buy me such an expensive ring when we got married. He said I'm the purest soul he's ever seen in this corrupt world, and only the best things are worthy of me."

Li Wei, who had been leaning against the wall without saying a word, couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly when he heard the words "the purest soul".

Would any woman really believe such nonsense?

"So you came here just to show off that you found a good man?" Don Quixote felt resentful and prepared to kick him out. "If you have nothing else to say, get out of here."

"Wait!" Catherine pulled a document from her handbag and tossed it onto the shoe rack by the door. "This is the second thing I came to tell you."

"Lolo wants some time alone, just the two of us. He doesn't want a crying baby at home," she shrugged. "So I've agreed to give up custody of Lily. This is an agreement relinquishing custody and waiving any future alimony requests from you; the lawyer has already drafted it. Once you sign it, Lily will be yours, and we'll be even."

The air in the room seemed to freeze for a few seconds.

Don Quixote froze on the spot. He had prepared himself for a long and expensive lawsuit with Catherine, and was even prepared to go bankrupt in the fight for his daughter.

But now, happiness has come so suddenly, it's almost absurd.

"You...you're serious?" Don Quixote's lips trembled slightly. "You're so eager to get rid of your own daughter?"

"He's willing to spend over $2 for me in two weeks, which is enough to prove his ability and love for me, so don't put it so harshly. This is better for everyone," Catherine said impatiently, glancing at her watch. "Hurry up and sign it. Robert is still waiting for me in the car. We're going to have French food to celebrate. I don't want to keep him waiting too long; he's very particular about time."

Don Quixote didn't waste any more words. He didn't even bother to find a pen; he rushed into the house, grabbed a fountain pen, and quickly signed his name on the document, his strokes penetrating the paper, as if afraid that Catherine would change her mind if he hesitated even a second longer.

"Take it!" He shoved the signed copy of the document back into Catherine's hand, his eyes devoid of anger for the first time, filled only with a euphoric joy of relief. "Now, take your diamond ring and your Robert, and get out of my sight."

"Hmph, vulgar," Catherine took back the documents, touched Lily's little face, completely ignoring that her own daughter was biting her lip and large tears were welling up in her eyes. "It's okay, baby, I'm still your mother. Come to California sometime, and we'll go play together."

Lily angrily slapped Catherine's hand away.

Catherine's hand froze in mid-air. She frowned. "Don't do that. You can't stop your mother from pursuing happiness, can you?"

"You're not my mother," Lily said stubbornly. "You're not anymore."

"Tch, ungrateful." Catherine frowned, turned around without saying a word, and walked away in her high heels, getting into a Porsche parked at the door.

Li Wei leaned against the wall, feeling that the whole thing was incredibly strange.

Catherine was undeniably a blonde beauty, and she was only in her early twenties when Don Quixote married her, so it's no wonder he was completely captivated by her.

Although she is well-maintained now, she is already close to 40. Logically speaking, a super eligible bachelor who can spend more than 2 US dollars on her every two weeks could not possibly be so infatuated with her.

Wait a minute, Li Wei suddenly remembered, the family trust?

Just as Li Wei was leaning against the bed watching the Porsche disappear around the street corner, his phone vibrated in his pocket.

"Feed?" Li Wei answered the phone.

"Good afternoon, Levi," a gentle and familiar female voice rang out. "This is Elizabeth Mellon."

"Miss Mellon," Levi suddenly spoke up, "a very low-probability event just happened at my home, I wonder if you are aware of it?"

"Perhaps I know something about it?" Elizabeth said. "Are you free tonight? Let's have dinner together."

6:50 p.m., Nobu Japanese restaurant on 57th Street, Midtown Manhattan.

This upscale Japanese restaurant is known for its signature birchwood décor and minimalist design. After Li Wei gave his name, the waiter respectfully led him to a secluded corner seat.

Elizabeth arrived ahead of schedule.

She was wearing a very soft-looking off-white mohair sweater. The wide neckline revealed a hint of her delicate collarbone, and the sleeves were a bit long, covering half of her hand. This made her look a size smaller than usual, less aggressive, and more gentle.

Her long, golden hair wasn't styled in any complicated way; it simply cascaded smoothly over her shoulders, adorned with a simple pearl hair clip.

She was looking down at her phone, her slender fingers swiping across the screen, her other hand unconsciously supporting her chin. Her makeup was much lighter, almost like she was wearing no makeup at all, revealing the rosy complexion unique to young girls.

Seemingly noticing Li Wei's gaze, Elizabeth looked up and gave him a friendly smile.

"Sit down," she gestured to the seat opposite her, her voice much lighter than on the phone, "What? Haven't you seen me without a suit?"

"It is indeed a bit of a surprise," Li Wei said truthfully, pulling out a chair and sitting down. "This outfit makes me look—much more approachable."

"It's Sunday, Mr. Levi. Capitalists need rest too," Elizabeth blinked, a sly glint in her blue eyes. "I took the liberty of ordering the signature dish for you: yellowtail with South American chili peppers. I hope you don't mind eating raw food."

Looking at her seemingly harmless appearance, Li Wei became even more wary.

He decided to cut to the chase: "That Robert Anderson, is he one of yours?"

"Robert?" Elizabeth tilted her head and poked the edamame in front of her with her silver chopsticks. "To be precise, he used to be a senior vice president at the Mellon Family Trust, but he embezzled at least $400 million. He was originally going to spend the rest of his life in prison."

“But I suddenly realized the problem you’re facing now,” she said. “And I was worried that she would use her connection with Mr. Don Quixote to get close to you or fabricate dirt on you for the tabloids. So Mr. Robert was willing to take her away from New York in exchange for six more months of carefree living.”

"Did you send him to approach Catherine?" Levi sat down cross-legged. "You investigated me?"

"Listen, Mr. Levi, I'm so sorry," Elizabeth sighed. "The lighting at Dolores's boutique was too dim, so I didn't quite remember your face, but I did remember that you were an employee there. I was planning to go back and spend some money after the event and put it on your tab as a tip."

"But I'm guessing you've got a scholarship now," she said, staring into Levi's eyes, "you probably won't be working anymore, right?"

"Don't say that," Li Wei suddenly laughed. "It makes me sound like some petty, resentful woman, holding a grudge over a few dozen dollars in tips."

Although he used to be, he's not so bothered by a few dozen dollars anymore.

These words did indeed bring the two closer to some extent, and even Elizabeth Mellon laughed.

"And then there's the fact that you received a scholarship," she said, "I... I really didn't know about it, otherwise I wouldn't have put you in this position."

"So, Miss Mellon feels my pride has been hurt by you?" Levi asked, "and you want to compensate me by helping me resolve Catherine's matter?"

Elizabeth nodded decisively: "Yes, I wanted to use this to express my apology and sincerity."

"Okay," Li Wei thought for a moment, picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of sashimi, and put it in his mouth. "I do need to say thank you for this."

After all, even Susan couldn't get Catherine to give up custody, and as for Levi and Don Quixote, they have no way to get custody of Lily right now.

"So we're even?" Elizabeth blinked. "If you're still not satisfied..."

She declined the sommelier's service and poured Li Wei a glass of Daiginjo herself.

"Then I apologize to you," she said in broken Chinese, her manner neither refined nor sophisticated.

Then he drank the sake in the cup in one gulp.

"Alright, alright," Li Wei said, "I'm getting goosebumps. Let's not talk about whether we're even or not. The two things are completely unequal. I owe you a small favor."

"But I still have a small question," Elizabeth said, somewhat puzzled. "Is it because I don't fit your aesthetic preferences? Or is there something I've done wrong that makes me feel like you're deliberately avoiding me?"

"Because you're a bit pretentious," Li Wei said after thinking for a moment. "Pretentious means being too aloof, not like a real person."

"Wow," she said, "this is the first time I've received this comment—'not like a real person,'"

O

"It feels like you're deliberately putting on an act when you talk and do things," Li Wei shrugged. "But maybe it's because I haven't been in contact with people from high society, so I'm not sure if all of you are like that."

“Indeed, we’re all show-offs,” Elizabeth thought for a moment, then chuckled. “Especially in public, you can’t help but show off.”

"I understand," Li Wei nodded. "Every circle has its own rules, and I have no intention of judging, but I may not be able to accept them for the time being."

"Thank you for understanding," Elizabeth said, extending a hand. "Are we friends now?"

"Of course," Li Wei squeezed her fingertips, "it's my pleasure."

"That's wonderful," Elizabeth said with a bright smile. "Then let's begin our dinner. Nobu's winter menu is definitely something to look forward to."

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