People in America: My Uncle Don Quixote

Chapter 97: There's no sadness a Ferrari can't cure (Seeking monthly votes)

Mr. Sergei Volkov was originally invited as a guest speaker at a famous economic forum in Eastern Europe, but when he heard Katya tell him that his little bear was so worried about applying to a mere school that he couldn't even eat, he immediately canceled the event and flew straight to New York.

As an oligarch who survived the turmoil following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Sergei rarely revealed his thoughts to outsiders, especially to his daughter.

He focused all his energy on improving his own abilities and expanding his wealth and network. But just when he suddenly realized that he could pluck a star from the sky for his daughter, she had grown into a young woman and was about to go to university.

Time flies so fast.

Upon arriving in Riverdale, near the Hudson River, Sergei Volkov got out of the car without waiting for his bodyguards.

He walked straight into the elevator, and Katya was already waiting at the door when he got out.

"How is she feeling?" Sergei asked. "Is her appetite good?"

"Miss Anna is perfectly healthy," Katya said. "It's just that yesterday, after she found out she was being put on hold at university, she locked herself in her room for a long time."

Sergei nodded and waved for Katya to lead the way.

Anya was curled up on the sofa in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room, holding the TV remote and unconsciously flipping through entertainment programs.

Sergei suddenly realized that she was a bit unfamiliar. Half a year ago, when Katya took Anya from Moscow Airport, he remembered Anya as a little girl who was still calling him "Daddy" while clinging to his legs. But in the blink of an eye, how come she was about to go to university?

He tiptoed toward Anya, trying to surprise her.

"You know I can see you in the reflection of the TV and in the glass, right?" Anya rested her chin on her knees. "And the coldness you brought with you when you first walked in was quite noticeable."

"It was snowing outside when I arrived," Sergei chuckled. "The snow in New York is much less than in Moscow."

Anya sighed, "Dad, I'm fine."

"My little bear," Sergei sat down next to her, "I sent you to New York hoping you could see a different world and experience a different life."

"If you're not happy here," he said earnestly, "you can go wherever you want, anywhere in the world—Paris, London, Switzerland, Monaco—I can send you anywhere you can name it. It doesn't matter if we don't go to this school."

"I want to go to the moon," Anya said. "Is that okay?"

"That might be a little difficult," Sergei pondered. "Would going to space be possible? I can contact Musk and send you for a spin in space."

"Okay, Dad," Anya laughed, "I'm really fine, it's just an application."

"You're so good at managing your emotions, you're truly my little bear," Sergei said, pulling a small box from his pocket and handing it over. "This is an early birthday present for you."

Anya took the box and shook it, the clinking of keys echoing in her ears. She opened the box, and inside lay a heavy car key, the Prancing Horse logo gleaming under the light.

There's no sadness a Ferrari can't cure, so just buy a yacht instead.

"Your birthday is in a few days," Sergei said, his eyes full of affection. "I'll stay in New York to celebrate your birthday with you before I leave."

"Really?!" Anya turned around and gave Sergei a hug. "Thank you, Dad!"

"But weren't you supposed to attend that economic forum?" She blinked. "Is it okay to cancel like this?"

"Let them talk," Sergei said. "I don't care."

"You should still go," Anya shook her head. "I saw it; they've already posted your photo on their official website."

"Are you really alright?" Sergei asked. "Don't you need me to celebrate your birthday with you?"

"I'm fine," Anya said coquettishly, "I'm a grown woman now."

"Then I'll leave tomorrow," Sergei said after thinking for a moment. "Oh, right, there's one more thing."

A restaurant inside the Aman Club in Manhattan.

Li Wei silently cut off a piece of steak and put it in his mouth, just like Anya's father, Sergei, who was sitting directly opposite him.

The only difference between the two was that Levi's gaze was focused on the steak, while Sergei stared intently at Levi.

Anya gently touched Li Wei's knee under the tablecloth, somewhat enjoying the slightly stimulating sensation.

"So, you're an orphan?" Sergei asked in English with a rolled "r" accent. "And now you're a rugby player?"

"Yes, that's right," Levi replied. "In addition, I have received a full scholarship and stipend from Yale University."

Sergei glanced at Levi, then at Anya beside him: "Is your desire to stay in New York and attend Yale University related to him?"

Instead of answering Sergei's question directly, Anya tried to carve a flower on the foie gras in front of her.

Mmm, this foie gras is really foie gras.

Sergei frowned and stared at Li Wei for a few seconds, trying to find fault with him.

It's normal for my daughter to date now that she's grown up, but I need to be careful to keep her eyes open.

He looked Li Wei up and down, but couldn't find anything wrong with him. His appearance, physique, demeanor, and academic performance left him speechless.

Although he came from a less privileged background, Sergei didn't care about that.

Since our daughter likes it, let her be.

"In that case," he then looked at Anya, "should we look into how you got into Yale?"

"I will try my best in this matter," Anya said, seemingly unwilling to elaborate on the topic. "I will continue to work hard when the application process resumes in the spring."

“No need for that, my little bear,” Sergei said. “I can have my assistant donate $2000 million directly to the Yale Board of Trustees to build a new library named after Volkov, so you can have it directly.”

"Stop talking, Dad," Anya suddenly raised her head, "I'll be laughed at by my classmates if I do that."

"Why?" Mr. Sergei asked, somewhat puzzled. "If this were Moscow, people would respect you more for being able to donate a building."

"I need to use the restroom," Anya sighed. "Excuse me."

She pushed her plate aside, stood up, pursed her lips tightly, and left the table.

She was so nervous tonight that she felt her stomach churning again.

"Did I say something wrong?" Mr. Sergei looked at Katya with some surprise, then at Li Wei.

"Should I have not brought up the donation?"

"Mr. Levi earned the full scholarship on his own," Katya whispered to Sergei. "Miss Anna's application was put on hold, and she may already feel a bit inferior about it. If you bring it up again, it might make her feel completely worthless and rejected."

Li Wei's extraordinary physique allowed him to hear Katya's words as well.

"Excuse me," he stood up, "I also need to use the restroom."

In the restroom, Anya spat out the foie gras she had just eaten and then walked out of the stall.

She decided to rinse her mouth, tidy her hair, and reapply lip gloss.

Looking at her flawless reflection in the mirror, Anya felt as if she had been punched hard in the stomach.

This was definitely not written in the script.

As she stared at herself in the mirror, bewildered and terrified, Anya suddenly realized how hopeless her life was, and how tragedy had tightly enveloped her.

Although she certainly couldn't say these words herself—after all, she had over $200 million in pocket money every quarter, and her father, who was on the Forbes global list, had just gifted her a Ferrari—she felt very empty.

Compared to Li Wei, who said he had prepared 14 AP courses and was a national football champion, she felt completely inferior. Although she had a father with a net worth of tens of billions of dollars, she still felt inferior when facing Li Wei.

Before Sergei made the suggestion, she hadn't even realized one thing—she seemed to have never done anything that made others or herself proud.

After staring blankly in the mirror for a while, Anya suddenly remembered that there were three people waiting for her outside, so she hurriedly left the women's restroom.

As soon as she stepped outside, she ran into Li Wei, who was waiting at the door.

"Are you in a bad mood?" he asked.

"No," Anya said stubbornly, "I'm not in a bad mood."

"You get stomach aches when you're stressed or anxious," Li Wei hugged her. "Tell me about it?"

'

"...Okay." Anya's fingers unconsciously gripped Li Wei's shirt. "Look at you, you're so good at both academics and sports. You must get up before dawn every day to train and study until late at night. Now you've not only received a full scholarship, but you're also the number one high school athlete in America."

?

When did I ever get up before dawn to train?

Isn't it because I'm too strong to sleep when I read late into the night? I even go out to do chivalrous deeds.

However, Li Wei didn't say anything. After all, he had lived a life of constant anxiety, relying entirely on his own efforts! System, give me some points!

"And what about me? Not only have I been busy for half a year, but my early application has also been put on hold. But I deserve it," Anya said with a self-deprecating laugh. "And once I actually donate that building, I can imagine what my classmates will say about me behind my back."

"I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself," Li Wei said after thinking for a moment. "If you feel it's too difficult for you, do you want me to help you?"

"No," Anya took a deep breath and shook her head. "I don't need anyone's help. I want to prepare the materials myself and complete the normal application in March."

"Do you have any ideas?" Li Wei pulled her hand and walked back. "I learned that Yale values ​​students' insight into social issues. Maybe you could do some charity work or social surveys or something."

"For example, what?" Anya asked. "If I ask my college counselor, he'll probably just suggest that I organize some charity or art exhibitions, but you know I'm not interested in that."

"Well... for example, subway improvements, welfare benefits, human rights, and so on," Li Wei gave examples. "You don't need to make any real changes yourself, but I think that as long as you have some insights and suggestions, it might actually be a positive contrast to your identity."

"You're right. I'll go back and ask my college counselor again," Anya said, quickly kissing Levi on the cheek. "I feel much better. Let's go in."

"Let's talk to Mr. Sergei when we get back tonight," Li Wei said. "He's feeling guilty because he's worried he said something wrong."

"If you're doing any social research," he added, "remember to call me."

Going out with Anya might lead to some different places and perhaps trigger some new locations.

That evening, when Li Wei returned home, Anya excitedly shared with him the results of her heart-to-heart talk with her father, bringing both good news and bad news.

The good news is that she told Mr. Sergei about her confusion and distress, and he even decided to give her another large sum of money (but none of that matters!). The father-daughter relationship has reached its peak this year.

The bad news was that she hadn't spent more than a few days with her father in six months. She planned to take advantage of the Christmas holidays to spend a few more days with Mr. Sergei in Moscow and see some friends, but she wouldn't be able to spend Christmas with Li Wei.

"But I'll be back after the New Year," she said. "I'll give you your Christmas presents early tomorrow."

Her Christmas gift was a cream-colored V-neck cashmere sweater. As usual, Anya sewed a small heart-shaped gold ornament into the sleeve of the sweater and hoped that Levi could wear it throughout the warm winter.

Li Wei's return gift was an album and photos printed with pictures of their dates, with the location of their meeting and how he felt written on the back of each photo.

"I've finished the 20 hours for this semester," Li Wei said, walking up to the director of the Mellon Museum with his project form. "Please stamp it for me."

"Li Wei, you are the first to complete the 20-hour requirement," the person in charge of the scholarship program readily stamped his work. "Come back in February and complete another 20 hours."

"Okay," Levi said, taking the order. "By the way, did Miss Elizabeth Mellon come today?"

"Here he is," said the person in charge, who had seen Levi being called away by Elizabeth alone. "I'll go ask him."

After a while, he returned and gave Li Wei a clear answer.

Levi met Elizabeth Mellon in her small office.

"Merry Christmas," Levi said. "I'll probably be heading to San Antonio for a game after the holiday, so I just wanted to let you know in advance."

Christmas is just a few days away, and right after that he'll be going to the All-American Bowl.

"Merry Christmas and best wishes," Elizabeth Mellon smiled. "Is this your first Christmas in America? What are your plans?"

"I should be spending Christmas with my uncle and sister," Levi said with a smile. "By the way, I'm curious how you upper-class people celebrate Christmas?"

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