Chapter 364 - 238: I Support Your Affair
Elizabeth’s gaze traveled across the bustling gymnasium, landing on a carousel in the distance being decorated with colorful lights.
Watching a father and daughter happily decorating the carousel together, her eyes seemed to lose focus.
She wouldn’t tell Li Wei why she was in such a foul mood today.
It was just like how she never planned on telling Li Wei her feet were blistered, had he not found out on his own.
Even though it happened back in elementary school, that afternoon remained fresh in her memory. Elizabeth suspected she would carry this memory to her grave.
Back then, she was still the Mellon Family’s innocent and carefree little princess. Though her father was always busy with work, she felt no different from her classmates. In fact, her surname even gave her a faint, secret sense of pride.
That is, until the day her father, in a bout of artistic idealism, released a documentary exposing capitalist factories and labor issues. Afterward, it was discovered that this very factory had direct ties to the Mellon Family.
The film caused a massive uproar across the country, resulting in her father being stripped of all his executive positions. Even his trust was reduced to an amount that could barely maintain the Mellon Family’s basic respectable image.
The family elders were enraged. Her father was forced to the sidelines, stripped of his core authority, and the storm swept through Elizabeth’s previously peaceful school life as well.
You shouldn’t assume elementary schoolers don’t understand anything. In reality, they already grasp a lot, and when their thoughtless cruelty comes together, it’s all the more terrifying.
It was a Wednesday afternoon. The sun was shining brightly.
A girl in her class who usually orbited her, who shared afternoon tea with her, suddenly held up a copy of that day’s New York Times. In front of the entire class, she loudly read the report on the documentary and the scathing critique of Elizabeth’s father.
"Listen to this, Elizabeth," the girl said. "The paper says this man is a traitor to the Mellon Family. Do you know him?"
"I..." Elizabeth’s voice was almost inaudible. "I know. That’s my father."
"Oh?" the girl exclaimed. "If your dad’s a traitor, then you must be a little traitor, right?"
The classroom instantly erupted in a roar of laughter. The classmates who usually greeted her with smiles now stared at her with strange, disdainful, and gloating eyes.
"Traitor!"
"Little traitor!"
"We don’t play with traitors!"
All sorts of vicious names washed over her like a tide.
At twelve years old, she stood in the center of the classroom, tightly clutching the hem of her skirt, helplessly wishing the ground would swallow her whole.
Just like Lily at this very moment.
That moment then was just like this moment now.
Li Wei noticed the shift in her mood.
He didn’t say much, just patted her on the shoulder.
Elizabeth came back to her senses. As she felt the reassuring pressure on her shoulder, a faint, barely noticeable blush rose to her pale cheeks.
"Let’s go," she said, lifting her chin. "Let’s see where else we can throw our money."
...
The event continued until it finally ended at four in the afternoon.
As it was now December, the New York sky began to take on a faint yellow hue, even as early as 4 p.m.
The three of them left the school and headed to a Michelin-starred restaurant in Midtown Manhattan that Elizabeth had booked in advance.
Seated at a table for four, Elizabeth glanced sideways at Li Wei beside her and suddenly thought that bringing Lily along for dinner might have been a good choice after all.
Lily, sitting across from them, was taking up two seats. The extra one was occupied by the handmade souvenirs and stuffed animals Li Wei had spent over 3,000 USD on.
A gentle warmth seemed to radiate from Li Wei, making Elizabeth subconsciously want to lean in closer.
’Sigh,’ she thought while looking at the menu. ’I knew I should have worn a dress today. I can’t feel anything through this sweatshirt.’
"Which set menu are you thinking of getting?" Li Wei asked suddenly.
"I’ll have a sleeveless dress..." Elizabeth blurted out.
"Sorry," she said immediately. "I mean, I’ll have the one with the duck breast main. Thanks."
Soon, the appetizers arrived.
Lily hugged the few stuffed animals she had won at the school fair, excitedly reliving the day’s events as she ate.
"Elizabeth, you were so cool today! Did you see the look on Dasha’s and Bobby’s mothers’ faces? It was even uglier than if they’d swallowed a fly!" Lily exclaimed, waving her small fork.
Watching the ecstatic Lily, Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile.
She looked at Lily and said earnestly, "Lily, today’s problem might be solved, but you have to remember that in these circles, bullying and exclusion aren’t always as direct as what happened today."
"For example, if someone calls you ’brave,’ they might actually be mocking you for being reckless and not thinking things through," she explained, giving a vivid example. "If they’re eager to ask about your parents’ specific jobs and income, they aren’t doing it because they care about you. They’re silently appraising you, judging whether you’re worth befriending."
"Oh!" It suddenly dawned on Lily. She drooped. "That explains it... Dasha was always asking why my mom never comes to pick me up."
"So," Elizabeth said with gravity, "you have to learn to protect yourself. Sometimes, even people with smiles on their faces can have malicious intentions."
Lily nodded vigorously, her face full of admiration as she looked at Elizabeth.