Free Web NovelChapter 224: Chapter 142: Elizabeth: I Have a Friend
"Size 6.5, a European 37," Elizabeth said, surprised as she held up the shoebox. "How did you know my shoe size?"
Li Wei, of course, wasn’t going to say he could tell just by looking. He simply shrugged and said nothing.
"Isn’t this a bit improper?" Elizabeth looked at the pure white sneakers in her hands. "And the prom isn’t over yet..."
Despite her words, her expression and tone were hesitant, a clear sign she was tempted.
"Well, suit yourself," Li Wei said. "If you’re not leaving, I am."
"Hey, wait—"
Elizabeth paused. "Forget it, I’m leaving too." She glanced at her heel. "Thank you for today."
"Should I give you a ride then?" Li Wei asked casually. "Or are you calling your own driver?" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Actually," Elizabeth looked down at the sneakers on her feet, "I want to do something bold that I’ve never done before."
"Very bold?" Li Wei raised an eyebrow. "How bold?"
"Extremely bold," Elizabeth said, her eyes glinting as she stared at Li Wei. "Will you do it with me?"
...
"So, the ’bold’ thing you wanted to do was ride the New York subway?" Li Wei said, his hands in his pockets. He looked at an ecstatic Elizabeth, at a loss for words. "You’re 18 and you’ve never been on the subway?"
The subway car swayed and clattered. Passengers in twos and threes, headphones on, were engrossed in their phones. Li Wei and Elizabeth, a high-society girl riding the subway for the very first time, stood at the back of the car.
Elizabeth shook her head excitedly, her silky blonde hair shimmering in the dim light. In truth, she looked so out of place it was as if she and the subway existed in different realities.
"Of course not," Elizabeth said, listening to the rumbling subway and looking at the sign overhead. "Ever since I was little, they said it was dangerous and wouldn’t let me."
"’Rich people problems, huh?’ Li Wei remarked pointedly. ’Always having a luxury car to take you everywhere.’"
Elizabeth didn’t react to Li Wei’s words. "Someone asked me a similar question before," she said after a moment’s thought. "It must have been about two years ago, at the first non-family party I ever attended. A middle-aged man, about twenty years my senior, came up and asked me, ’What kind of troubles could a rich person possibly have?’"
"What did you say back then?" Li Wei asked curiously.
"I was a bit stunned at the time," Elizabeth said, smoothing her hair and grabbing an overhead handrail. "Because back then, I didn’t think of myself as rich. I felt all that money belonged to my parents, and it had nothing to do with me."
"He thought I didn’t understand, so he repeated himself. ’What does it feel like to be someone with no worries?’ he asked," a faint smile touched her lips. "I was actually quite angry at the time because I felt it was an incredibly rude and boorish thing to ask."
"And now?" Li Wei asked. "Have your thoughts on it changed?"
"Now I think that while being born into a family like mine means you have fewer worries than, um... a middle or lower-class family," Elizabeth said, "it’s not completely worry-free like everyone thinks."
"Take my 18th birthday, for example," she said with a small smile. "How many families, on their child’s 18th birthday, bring out a cake and, at the same time, a will for them to sign?"
Li Wei was taken aback. That was something he’d never considered.
"I took it relatively well. I was already quite proactive and willing to get involved in family affairs early," Elizabeth paused. "But some of my friends were scared stiff on the spot. The idea of considering your own death at your happiest moment... it was just too remote for them at that age."
"Is that to ensure the wealth stays in the family?" Li Wei asked. "Like a prenup."
"Prenups are a separate matter," Elizabeth said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I believe the core philosophy of the family is that the money belongs to the family, to the surname, not to any one individual. I just happen to have that surname. So if something happens to me or I die unexpectedly, that wealth has to go back into the family’s trusts and foundations."
"Besides, even though I have access to some funds at this stage," she shrugged nonchalantly, "once I get married, my children will no longer benefit from the Mellon Family trust. Unless, of course, their last name is also from an Old Qian Family."
"That does sound pretty sad," Li Wei remarked.
Just then, a large, older Black woman nearby turned her head. She gave Elizabeth a look as if she were a lunatic, then shifted her large frame away.
"There’s another story from when I was little," Elizabeth smiled nonchalantly, the play of light and shadow from the train making her face seem more tangible. "When I was in elementary school, I always thought Mellon was a very common surname, just like John, Carter, or Simmons."
"I remember it very clearly. During history class, a classmate suddenly walked over with a textbook, pointed at me, and said, ’Look, that’s Elizabeth Mellon’s great-great-great-grandfather. The whole United States of America belongs to her family’," she raised her hands in a self-deprecating surrender gesture. "I even ran home crying to my dad, asking why I had to be a Mellon, why I was different from my classmates."
Just as her hands left the handrail, the subway lurched forward again. Elizabeth let out a small gasp and stumbled into Li Wei’s chest, grabbing his arm reflexively.
"Be careful," Li Wei said. "Your foot is still injured."
"Sorry," Elizabeth said, straightening up and tucking back a stray strand of hair. "You’re right, I should get going."
They got off at the next stop, where Elizabeth was quickly picked up by the familiar, solid black Range Rover SV.
Watching from the car window as Li Wei also got into a taxi, Elizabeth stared blankly at the sneakers on her feet, lost in thought.
"Miss Mellon," the driver said, noticing she was wearing different shoes. "What happened to your high heels?"
"They gave me blisters this morning," Elizabeth said. "So I threw them out."
The driver nodded and said no more, driving on in silence.
Elizabeth recalled the feeling of falling into Li Wei’s arms and smacked her lips with a surprising lack of grace.
"Jackson," she suddenly asked, "um... Laura from the Vanderbilt Family told me something. She’s suddenly taken an interest in the boyfriend of a best friend of hers from the Du Pont Family. What should she do?"
"I don’t know, Miss Mellon," Jackson, the driver, shook his head and glanced in the rearview mirror. "But I suppose... perhaps Miss Laura would need to put in a bit more effort, to show her true charm."
"Show her true charm..." Elizabeth murmured. "I under— I’ll talk to her again about it."
...
The arrival of June heralded the start of summer in New York.
Li Wei’s high school prom was unremarkable, nothing much to speak of. However, Travis, Craig, Li Wei, and a few other close friends from the high school football team were planning to throw another party at Manu’s house.
Everything was going smoothly, until Craig’s childhood sweetheart, Jasmine, somehow got wind of the plan. She stormed into Manu’s house, intent on dragging him away.
"Put that damn red plastic cup down, Craig, and get out here with me now!"
Jasmine pushed through the crowd and walked straight up to Craig, who was in the middle of a drinking contest with Travis. Her face was thunderous.
The noisy living room fell quiet for a moment as the boys around them started hooting and catcalling.
Craig felt like he was losing face. He lowered his voice and tried to explain to the furious Jasmine, "Honey, what are you freaking out about? This is our last high school bros’ party. Can’t you just let me relax a little?"
"Yeah, Jasmine," Travis slurred drunkenly. "There are no... no chicks here..."
"Relax?" Jasmine shot Travis a vicious glare and snatched the cup from Craig’s hand. "You report to your university in less than three months. You think that D1 University athletic scholarship is for an under-21 idiot like you to squander? If the cops raid this place tonight, a single misdemeanor for underage drinking is all it would take for the NCAA compliance committee to strike your name right off the list!"
Her words were high-minded and irrefutable, but being berated like that by his girlfriend in front of his high school teammates was tantamount to a slap in the face for Craig.
Craig’s face darkened. He flung Jasmine’s hand away and strode towards the door. "Come talk to me outside."
Unyielding, Jasmine followed him.
Li Wei, Manu, and Travis held their cups, crowding onto the porch like gophers watching a show.
"Scooch over, Manu," Li Wei said, annoyed. "You’re big enough to block the view for all of us."
Manu gave a sheepish laugh and made way for Li Wei to have the best viewing spot.
"You just dragged me out of the living room like a kid who hasn’t been weaned!" Craig clutched his head in anger. "My boys were all watching! What does that make me to them? Some wimp who can’t even decide how to spend his own weekend?"
"Are you the same as them? You’re a D1 University full athletic scholarship recipient! You’re going to compete in the much more intense NCAA!" Jasmine’s voice was even shriller than his. "Didn’t you say you wanted to win the Heisman Trophy? Is ’face’ going to get you a better draft pick in the NFL? Have you ever considered my feelings?"
Craig said defiantly, "But why can Li Wei—"
"You’re comparing yourself to Li Wei? (The onlookers all turned to Li Wei, who just shrugged and raised his cup to Jasmine from afar.) He’s already signed his contract. There’s no rule in the NFL that says players can’t drink in the offseason," Jasmine shrieked. "You have no idea how much effort I’ve put in for you! How hard I’ve worked to maintain our relationship! I have to go meet an agent later about your NIL likeness rights, and what are you doing?"
Just as the two were locked in a shouting match, a pink, diamond-encrusted Bentley Continental GT pulled into the ordinary Queens neighborhood, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
