Chapter 186: Chapter 119: But He Is Anya’s Boyfriend

"Hello." Li Wei shook his hand. "And you are?"

"I’m Lin Daohang, but you can call me David Lin," the middle-aged man said, presenting a gold-foil business card with both hands. "I’m the current co-chairman of the New York Chinese Fujian Business Association."

Li Wei glanced at the card and impassively tucked it into his breast pocket.

’When fellow countrymen meet abroad, it often ends with a knife in the back.’ In this foreign world of fame and fortune, an overly enthusiastic "countryman" was often deadlier than any arrogant white person.

"I’ll let you two talk," Elizabeth said, letting go of Li Wei’s arm and gesturing toward the front-row tables of the banquet hall. "I’m going to go say hello to some family friends."

With that, she gave Lin Daohang a slight nod and headed toward the front.

"Mr. Li Wei," Lin Daohang said, watching Elizabeth’s back before turning to Li Wei, his eyes full of envy. "You’re a true credit to us Chinese, having a lady like her as your date."

"You know her?" Li Wei asked.

"I wish I were that fortunate," Lin Daohang said, waving his hands in denial. "I’ve only seen her from a distance at a few events. You could tell just by the people surrounding her that her status was anything but ordinary."

Li Wei nodded. "Her name is Elizabeth Mellon."

"Mellon..." It clicked for Lin Daohang. "You mean, *the* Mellon Family?"

Li Wei simply nodded, saying nothing.

Lin Daohang glanced at Elizabeth with reverence. When he looked back at Li Wei, his expression was even more respectful, more fervent. Even the smile on his face seemed to grow a little brighter.

"Mr. Li, we’re all sons of the Yellow Emperor, and blood is thicker than water," he said, lowering his voice. "The elders and folks in Chinatown will be counting on you to speak for us in mainstream society. You must come and visit Chinatown when you have a moment. I have a teahouse there. I dare say you won’t find more authentic tea in all of New York." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Li Wei nodded and replied politely, "You’re too kind, Chairman Lin. I’ll definitely visit when I have the chance."

Lin Daohang also got Li Wei’s phone number, smiling so broadly that the flesh on his face trembled.

Li Wei felt genuinely uncomfortable and said, "Chairman Lin, you don’t have to be so... polite." He had wanted to say ’deferential’.

Lin Daohang froze for a second, and then sweat immediately broke out on his face. Thinking he had said something wrong, he quickly bowed to apologize. Li Wei rushed to help him up, saying they could just chat normally and that he would definitely drop by during the Spring Festival.

After they parted, Li Wei went to the restroom. When he came out, he saw Lin Daohang approaching Mayor Holmes, an even more brilliant smile plastered on his face.

"Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor," Lin Daohang gushed. "Your idea was a stroke of genius! The traditional Eastern lion, breaking the shackles of gender under the glorious light of the Statue of Liberty... *that* is civilization. So powerful, so moving."

Li Wei shook his head, said nothing, and headed for the temporary bar to get a drink.

Elizabeth Mellon had just finished greeting the CEO of Goldman Sachs and the board members of the Metropolitan Museum of Art when she came face-to-face with someone she loathed but had to greet regardless.

Theodore Du Pont approached, a glass of champagne in hand. He had a bloated figure and a pale, puffy face. Even his D&G cologne couldn’t mask the stale stench of marijuana clinging to him.

"Long time no see, Liz," he said with a smile. "The Mellon Art Gallery has put on a great event. Congratulations."

"I’d prefer Elizabeth. Only my family calls me Liz," Elizabeth replied with a polite smile. "Also, I don’t recall you visiting the gallery, Mr. Du Pont. When might that have been?"

"Fine, Elizabeth," Theodore Du Pont said, his puffy face showing no hint of embarrassment at the jab. "You know... I just bought a new yacht, and I took it to the Peace Resort on Saint Barthélemy Island. It was incredible. An enclosed terrace, a bar decorated with bamboo and glass, right in front of the turquoise Caribbean Sea... I just lounged there for a week..."

He droned on and on about his experiences, boastfully mentioning he’d taken some B-list Hollywood actress on the trip ("What was her name again? Uh... I can’t quite remember"), then moved on to an offshore golf course he visited in Puerto Rico.

From the moment he’d uttered his first word, Elizabeth had been fantasizing about slapping him.

But she glanced down at her fresh manicure and decided it wouldn’t be worth getting them greasy.

’Best to just leave it as a thought.’ She wasn’t an ill-mannered slob like that pig, Theodore Du Pont.

’Looking at his build, I wonder if he secretly eats troughs of animal feed when no one’s watching,’ Elizabeth thought.

She had always looked down on the scions of these great families’ cadet branches: born with a silver spoon and a trust fund worth hundreds of millions of USD, but destined never to advance further in life. Long before they were born, everything was already decided for them—their responsibilities, their rights, their fate—all set in stone by their parents’ or even their grandparents’ generation.

Most—no, practically all—of these scions from lesser branches were the same, just like Theodore Du Pont. He was over thirty-five, yet still didn’t possess a single ounce of social etiquette. He was so arrogant, droning on and on about himself, that she couldn’t get a word in edgewise.

Then again, she wasn’t the direct heir to the Mellon Family herself.

As these thoughts ran through her mind, her eyes darted around, searching for a reasonable way to escape the conversation.

Just then, as all the guests had arrived, the lights dimmed, leaving only a single spotlight shining.

Mayor Holmes walked up to the podium and cleared his throat.

"Welcome, welcome, everyone, to this evening’s gala," he said, spreading his arms with a broad smile. "We stand here tonight to celebrate, but also to remember the past. Whether you are a person of color or of Chinese descent, the color of pain is the same! The cotton fields of our African-American brothers, the railroad ties of our Chinese compatriots... In this diverse city, we must break down ethnic barriers and end the suffering of our minorities, because we all share one and the same love!"

Lin Daohang was practically the first to lead the applause, clapping so hard his palms turned red.

"During my term, I plan to build large-scale basketball courts and shelters." He glanced at the clearly segregated seating areas for the Chinese and Black guests, then declared with a grand sweep of his arm, "I pledge to improve the quality of life for our Chinese residents and secure the livelihoods of our Black brothers..."

Li Wei leaned against the bar, making no move to applaud.

He had disliked Mayor Holmes ever since Arthur told him about the mayor’s "broken windows" theory. Seeing that garish lion-dance costume with its painted-on eyeshadow only intensified his disgust.

Suddenly, an overpowering cloud of perfume washed over Li Wei.

He turned to see a voluptuous Latina woman, her figure practically bursting out of her dress, leaning in close with a drink in her hand.

Li Wei recognized her. She seemed to have come in after him, accompanying the head of some record label.

The reason she’d stuck in his mind was that she had lingered on the red carpet for so long that the reporters had to yell at her before she would finally leave.

"Hey, handsome," she purred like a leopardess, her voice husky and her gaze smoldering. "I haven’t seen you around before, but you look familiar. You from Hollywood?"

"Li Wei," he replied with a nod. "I’m a football player."

"Ooh," she cooed, her voice trembling with even more excitement. "A football player, huh... Ah!"

She recognized him. "You’re that high school prodigy! I’ve seen your pictures online. No wonder you look so familiar."

Although it had been a while, the photo from Li Wei’s combine had gone viral at the time, racking up over half a million likes on TikTok.

Li Wei shrugged.

"Hey, big shot," she said, looking Li Wei up and down. "Are you on juice?"

"No," Li Wei said. "I’m natural."

"I’m natural too," she said, turning to show Li Wei her prodigious, platter-like backside. "Got plans for later? I have a party over in New Jersey. We could have a different kind of fun."

’An eighteen-year-old, handsome football player, and he’s all-natural, no steroids.’ She was practically drooling at the thought. ’What a tasty little treat.’

"Don’t listen to her. I know which clinic she got those ass injections at. There’s more filler in there than in the entire state of California’s supply," another Black starlet cut in mockingly. "You’re old enough to be his mother, Veronica. Besides, I think your pussy’s cursed. Every athlete who sleeps with you turns into a total choke artist."

"Aurora, you fucking bitch, shut your goddamn mouth," Veronica shot back, holding nothing back. "Those jocks have muscles bigger than my tits, but they can’t even last three minutes. All I’m asking for is thirty minutes total. Is that my fault?"

She gave Aurora a once-over, her eyes sweeping across the other woman’s own nearly-bursting chest and ass before sneering, "What, did you come crawling back from Hollywood? How many producers’ beds did you warm and still couldn’t even land a speaking role? A first-rate, third-rate celebrity?"

As the two women stood with daggers drawn, Li Wei found he wasn’t interested in either of them. He just wanted to get out of there.

Perhaps some guys liked their look—the dreadlocks paired with asses and chests so exaggerated they looked distorted—but Li Wei found it a bit much.

After finally shaking off Theodore Du Pont, Elizabeth found Li Wei near the bar.

And, naturally, she saw Veronica and Aurora flanking him.

For some reason, she subconsciously found herself comparing Li Wei to Theodore Du Pont.

Physique, age, intelligence, looks—they weren’t even in the same league.

’Oh,’ she thought. ’How did I never realize what an exceptional man Li Wei is?’

She also recalled the photo of Li Wei that had blown up the internet. She had saved it. She had even watched his entire game, marveling at his bulldozer-like physicality. ’Now that,’ she thought, ’is a real man.’

With that comparison fresh in her mind, the thought of Theodore Du Pont made her feel vaguely nauseous.

And Li Wei wasn’t like those other athletes who were all brawn and no brains. He had even chosen Yale’s school of management and would be starting the same year as her. He was handsome, too—nothing like those other muscle-bound freaks.

’But he’s Anya’s boyfriend... How did I not notice before?’

A strange surge of jealousy and possessiveness washed over her.

’But so what?’ she thought. ’Tonight, he’s my date.’

A little pleased with herself at this thought, she started walking in Li Wei’s direction.

"Pardon me, ladies," she said, walking to Li Wei’s side and linking her arm through his without a second thought. "I’m Elizabeth Mellon. Li Wei and I need to go meet some important friends. Perhaps we can chat another time."

While the two minor starlets were nowhere near prominent enough to know Elizabeth personally, they had both heard of the illustrious Mellon Family. They had no choice but to step aside and slink away dejectedly.

"Miss Elizabeth," Li Wei said jokingly, "Was I the damsel in distress you just rescued?"

"Just call me Liz," Elizabeth corrected him again, subconsciously smoothing her hair. "Anya’s not here, so I have to be careful and keep other women from harassing you. These Hollywood types are the worst. You could catch something."

"I get it," Li Wei said, pointing to his arm. "You’re holding on a bit tight."

"..."

Elizabeth froze. The tips of her ears flushed red, but she immediately acted as if nothing had happened, her fingers loosening their grip on Li Wei’s arm ever so slightly.