"Super pretty?" Li Wei said with a smile. "Prettier than my big sister Emma?"
"Cut out the sweet talk," Emma said, rolling her eyes at him. "I don't want to cheat on my boyfriend."
The boutique was nearly empty. Mrs. Dolores had gone out to take care of something, leaving only Emma and Li Wei in the store.
The two of them sat in the lounge behind the fitting rooms. It was a blind spot for the security cameras, and Emma's specially designated "gossip sanctuary."
"Here, half for each of us." Emma brought three boxes of macarons and a bottle of champagne from the break room. "You can take this box home after your shift. I'm getting old, so I can't eat too many."
"What does that have to do with your age?" Li Wei took one box, pulled out a lemon-yellow macaron, and popped it into his mouth. "Yikes... that's sweet."
"I'm Russian-American," Emma sighed. "If I don't watch what I eat, I'll turn into a fatso after I get married."
"Fine." Li Wei pushed his box back toward Emma. "Anyway, tell me more about that super pretty girl. What's she like?"
"Let's see..." Emma thought for a moment. "Blonde, tall, blue-eyed, very elegant, and lively."
"Oh, right!" The more she thought about it, the more excited she got. She slapped Li Wei hard on the back. "She's coming in again tomorrow. She said she might buy a necklace, too!"
Emma sucked in a breath and rubbed her reddened palm. "Are you wearing a bulletproof vest to work? Why are you so hard?"
Only then did Li Wei remember that he'd forgotten to deactivate Knight's Body. He mumbled something and changed the subject.
"You can tell me about her without getting so excited," he said casually. "What does she have to do with me?"
At that, Emma immediately gave him a look of exasperation, as if she were heartbroken that her own pig didn't dare root around in someone else's cabbage patch.
"With a face and body like yours," she said, poking his cheek, "you could be chasing pretty rich girls. And you're content to stay here as a clerk?"
"Let me tell you something else." She lowered her voice. "I saw her card payment this morning. She paid $62,058.75 without even blinking, just for a diamond-encrusted Hermès crocodile Kelly bag."
"Why such an oddly specific amount?" Li Wei laughed. "Did they really count every cent?"
"It includes tax." Emma blinked and went on, "Just think about it. She buys Hermès as casually as she buys groceries, and she's gorgeous. If you manage to date her, maybe you could even drive her Ferrari or something."
Emma's words naturally brought to Li Wei's mind the image of a spoiled, mean-spirited rich kid who looked down on everyone and threw her weight around.
He shook his head. "Forget it. I can earn my own money. I don't like depending on other people."
For the rest of their shift, Emma ate macarons and lamented that a man's prime only lasted a few years, so he had to make the most of it. Once he was past twenty-five, he wouldn't be able to live off a woman anymore, and so on.
Then, after she'd eaten nearly two whole boxes of macarons, she blamed Li Wei again for making her eat so much. She'd have to spend time working out when she got home.
Three hours later.
Li Wei had served zero customers, earned $72 after taxes, picked up a box of macarons worth $100, and taken home more than half a bottle of champagne. Satisfied, he clocked out of the boutique.
By the time he'd eaten dinner and returned to Bay Ridge, Don Quixote had also come home from Dyker Heights.
"Try these. I brought them home from the store." Li Wei pointed at the box on the table. "They cost ten dollars apiece wholesale."
"Ten dollars? Damn... I hate rich people." Don Quixote opened the box and tossed one macaron into his mouth. "Damn, that's good... Can you get me some more tomorrow?"
Before Li Wei could answer, Don Quixote had already tossed the second and third macarons into his mouth.
"Maybe. A customer bought them today and left them uneaten, so that's why I got some." Li Wei watched Don Quixote's cheeks puff up as he chewed. "Can you guys really stomach something this sweet? I honestly don't get what's so good about them."
"What's the big deal?" Don Quixote wiped his mouth. "Next time, I'll bring you some American snacks. Then you'll understand."
Li Wei could already guess what these so-called American snacks would be: another calorie bomb sweet enough to kill you in one bite. Something like marshmallows dipped in chocolate even sweeter than Ferrero Rocher's filling, then stuffed into your mouth by the handful.
America was a land of its own, and Don Quixote had stayed thin before for two reasons: he did hard physical labor every day, and from time to time he had to sell his blood to make ends meet.
Now, in less than two weeks, he'd already put on a noticeable amount of weight.
Li Wei waved away Don Quixote's offer, went back to his room on the second floor, and continued studying Russian and memorizing the contents of the tactical manual.
A little after two in the morning, Li Wei again heard rustling sounds from downstairs.
When he got dressed and went down, he saw that Don Quixote had somehow acquired an iron rod.
Who knew where he'd gotten it?
"Long time no see, my friend!" Don Quixote said cheerfully. "Are you ready to join me on another expedition?"
"I'm ready, Sir Knight Don Quixote." Li Wei asked curiously, "But may I ask where you got that fine sword?"
"I found this heirloom sword in the castle!" Don Quixote waved it excitedly, nearly smashing one of the room's lamps. "Well? Isn't it sharp? It's enchanted! It can pierce the tough skin of the witch's minions."
"But wasn't the witch already defeated?" Li Wei sighed and asked. "Has she returned?"
"That's right, my friend." Don Quixote headed for the door. "The one we defeated last time wasn't the witch's true form. Her true form is on the other side of the continent. It'll take a long time to reach her."
Afraid Don Quixote might break something or run into some unfortunate passerby while sleepwalking, Li Wei hurried out after him.
At two in the morning, the wind swept through Bay Ridge, and the streetlights cast dim, lonely shadows.
The night breeze carried a hint of chill, mingled with the familiar smell of the sea.
Don Quixote clutched the iron rod he'd picked up in the basement and strode forward with his head held high. Li Wei followed at an unhurried pace.
As they walked, they came to a turn at the street corner.
Directly beneath the streetlight stood a red fire hydrant.
The paint had peeled away in places, revealing its mottled surface beneath. In the dim light, it looked a little eerie.
"Be careful!" Don Quixote whispered. "A border guard has appeared—the red dwarf sent by the witch."
Li Wei followed his gaze. To him, it was nothing more than a fire hydrant with some peeling paint.
[You have received a quest: Advance] [The witch's minions are always watching Sir Knight Don Quixote's territory. You cannot advance without defeating them.] [Quest reward: Free attribute point +0.1]
"Let me handle him!"
Don Quixote growled and raised his "sword," ready to charge.
Li Wei's heart lurched. If Don Quixote actually smashed the hydrant, the homeowners' association would show up the next day with an outrageous bill.
"Let me!" Li Wei stepped forward. "We need to save our strength for what lies ahead. This dwarf looks intelligent. Maybe we can negotiate!"
"Negotiate?" Don Quixote froze, the iron rod suspended in midair.
"That's right. We're knights, so he's no match for us," Li Wei said, making it up as he went. He pulled the wrapper from the macaron he'd eaten out of his pocket and walked toward the hydrant. "Hellish red dwarf, sign this contract and we'll let you go."
Li Wei spoke in an extremely low, intimidating voice. At the same time, he rubbed the lemon-scented wrapper against the hydrant's coupling, pretending to hand over a contract.
He turned and gave Don Quixote the OK sign.
Don Quixote closed his eyes tight, staring fixedly at the hydrant.
"He knows his place," he said. "Let's go. I hope he keeps to the terms of the contract."
[Quest: Advance completed] [Reward: 0.1 free attribute point granted]
Li Wei watched Don Quixote walk away, picked up the wrapper from the ground, and hurried after him.
After wandering around the neighborhood for a while longer, Sir Knight Don Quixote's adventure for the day came to an end, and he returned home.
Li Wei looked at the 0.3 attribute points on his status screen and decided to wait until the barbell and power rack he'd ordered that day arrived before assigning them.
As he lay in bed that night, Li Wei thought again about what Emma had said that afternoon.
"If even Emma, who's so pretty, says she's super pretty..." He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. "I should go take a look tomorrow morning."
Before you continue