Chapter 105: Chapter 83: The Body Is More Honest Than the Mind

’Could this trigger a quest?’

Li Wei looked at his attribute panel with curiosity.

[You have acquired your first mount: A one-in-a-hundred warhorse.]

[First mount acquired. Free Attribute Points +0.1]

[You have received a quest: A Knight’s Obsession]

[How can a true Knight not have a fine warhorse? And a true Knight could never have just one.]

[Quest Requirement: Obtain 1 one-in-a-hundred, 1 one-in-a-thousand, and 1 one-in-ten-thousand warhorse.]

[Quest Reward: 1 Passive Riding Skill]

[Free Attribute Points: 0.5] -> [Free Attribute Points: 0.6]

Li Wei looked back at the Cadillac Escalade ESV parked in the darkness.

’System, you’re really getting ahead of yourself. A car worth over 100,000 USD is only a one-in-a-hundred in your eyes? Then what level would a one-in-a-thousand or a one-in-ten-thousand be?’

"What’s wrong?" Seeing Li Wei pause at the door to look at the car, Don Quixote couldn’t help but tease, "Your very first car. Feels different, doesn’t it?"

"Now that you mention it, it does," Li Wei said with a smile. "It’s a very strange feeling."

"That’s how it should be, kid," Don Quixote said, shaking his head sagely. "A car is a man’s second home. It’s the warhorse that charges with you and the harbor that shelters you. It’s more reliable than a woman, and more loyal too. Once you get used to driving it, you’ll remember what I said today."

"Yeah, yeah, let’s head inside," Li Wei said as he and Don Quixote entered the house. "By the way, Thanksgiving is in a little over two weeks. What are your plans?"

For most Americans, Thanksgiving is one of the most important holidays, a unique time for the whole family to gather.

Don Quixote had been animatedly talking about all the places he had driven to, but his hands froze when he heard the word ’Thanksgiving’.

"Work, of course," he said, forcing a smile. "Business is on the upswing right now. I’m planning to take on the holiday decoration projects for a few of the surrounding communities, too. Make a big score for Christmas."

"But Thanksgiving is a day for family reunions," Li Wei reminded him. "Don’t you want to bring your daughter over to celebrate with you?"

"Lily?" A rare look of panic and embarrassment appeared on Don Quixote’s face. "I... I can’t. Right now, I’m—"

"What about right now?" Li Wei cut him off. "You have a comfortable home. You have a decent job. You’ve already turned your life around. What’s stopping you?"

Don Quixote was stunned.

In the past ten-plus years, it seemed he had never even considered the phrase ’bringing my daughter home’.

’Celebrating Thanksgiving with his daughter’—that phrase seemed to leave him more at a loss than his previous life of hardship.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Wei walked to the fridge, pulled it open, grabbed a can of ice-cold Coke from inside, and tossed it to Don Quixote. "You don’t really think your daughter would refuse to spend time with you, do you?"

"What are you talking about, you little brat," Don Quixote retorted instinctively. "She loves being with me more than anything."

"There you go, then," Li Wei said, popping open the can with one hand. "Now if you don’t mind, I’m going to get some rest. I still have to prepare for my Yale interview."

He went upstairs with his can of Coke. His current craving for calories had given him a constitution where he wouldn’t gain weight no matter how much he ate. Compared to when he first moved in a month ago, Don Quixote had already gained a spare tire, while Li Wei still had a clearly defined six-pack.

...

「Two days later, on Saturday.」

Anya sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her own reflection in the full-length mirror.

She had just lied to Auntie Kaja. In fact, she had been up for hours, already dressed in jeans, a black pullover, and boots.

She had even painted her nails dark brown to match her mood.

’Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all? Not you, Anna Sergeyevna Volkova. At least, not today.’

She had spent all of Friday shrouded in a nameless rage. She fell asleep angry and woke up angry. It seemed she was doomed to a life accompanied by anger. Li Wei had rejected her offer to pick him up and drive him to New Haven last night. ’Is he mad at me? Does he not want to be with me anymore?’ To make matters worse, her housekeeper and bodyguard, Auntie Kaja, had recently advised her to see Li Wei less often until they had investigated his background.

Oh, yes. Suka, she still had to force herself to go to a Yale interview today that she had absolutely no confidence in.

Nothing could be worse. And she should probably eat something; she hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice in nearly twenty-four hours. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Anya had to stand up and walk to the small dining room they usually used, to have lunch with Auntie Kaja.

The house chef had already prepared a sumptuous Russian meal, but she had no appetite whatsoever.

Auntie Kaja’s back was still ramrod straight. Seeing Anya’s clothes, her eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t say anything.

"I will drive you to New Haven shortly, Miss Anya," she said, her expression blank. "Also, I was wondering if you feel your current attire is... somewhat unsuitable for meeting your interviewer."

"I’m a Russian," Anya said listlessly, poking at the small dumplings in her bowl. "They’ll remember that no matter what I wear. Unless I announce that I’m being persecuted by the Russian government because I’m a perverted gay man who was assigned female at birth but identifies as male and is planning to have surgery."