Chapter 263 - 162: You Broke the Rules of the Streets
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A few days later, the Danbo Region of Brooklyn was completely locked down for the night.
The New York City Police Department had put up long police cordons, directing traffic.
In front of the Mellon Art Gallery, a thirty-meter-long red carpet stretched to the end of the street.
Elizabeth Mellon was wearing a black Tom Ford evening gown, her silky blonde hair pinned up to reveal her slender neck. The entire venue was filled with elite bodyguards.
She was chatting and joking with several Manhattan city council members, fund managers, and the avant-garde artists whose works were being exhibited.
Just then, a Cadillac Escalade cut through the darkness of the night, stopping at the head of the red carpet.
Li Wei got out of the back seat, his polished leather shoes stepping onto the red carpet.
Some reporters instantly recognized him as the NFL’s current hottest star. In a flash, their long-lensed cameras adjusted and aimed in Li Wei’s direction, snapping photos nonstop.
Elizabeth, who had been laughing and chatting with a famous art critic, only had time to offer a quick "excuse me" before she gathered the troublesome hem of her black gown. Treading carefully in her seven-centimeter heels, she walked down the steps to greet him personally.
"You’re here!"
She walked up to Li Wei, her azure eyes sparkling with undisguised excitement and joy.
She spread her hands slightly, presenting to Li Wei the brilliantly lit art gallery behind her and the glamorous, well-dressed crowd on the red carpet.
"Look at all this! What do you think?" Her voice carried a mix of pride and apprehension. "I personally invited all the artists exhibiting tonight. Many of them have recently made a name for themselves and have some renown on the international stage. I’m sure the family foundation will have to see me in a new light. Don’t you think?"
"I don’t know the first thing about art," Li Wei said with a helpless laugh, "but I believe that if you’ve done well enough to make your enemies target you, you must be doing something right."
"You’re right!" Elizabeth laughed too, taking Li Wei’s arm and leading him onto the red carpet. "I owe you again for this one," she said in a low voice. "I was honestly terrified a couple of days ago when you told me someone was planning to deliberately sabotage my event."
"It was nothing," Li Wei also said quietly. "Fortunately, I have good relationships with the Italians and the Russians here in Brooklyn, and they were willing to do me a favor."
After Lin Daohang had told him about the plot, Li Wei, wanting to prevent any trouble, had also reached out to Lady Delores and Frank from the Gambino Family to give them a heads-up.
Both Lady Delores and Frank—who had made a fortune thanks to Li Wei—were willing to grant him this favor. As a result, the event went off without a hitch. Even the grifters, thieves, and homeless people in the Danbo Region had gotten the message beforehand and vanished from the area for the entire day.
As Li Wei turned his head, a look of adoration flashed across Elizabeth’s eyes.
When she had escorted him to the entrance of the art gallery, she looked as if she wanted to say something but held back. Instead, she just gently straightened the hem of his suit jacket, his collar, and his tie, then patted his chest, saying nothing at all.
Suddenly, another car appeared in the distance at the far end of the red carpet—a silver-gray Bentley Mulsanne.
A valet quickly stepped forward to open the car door, and a young white man who bore a slight resemblance to Elizabeth stepped out. He had the same blonde hair and blue eyes as Elizabeth, but his expression revealed an undisguised arrogance and disdain.