第42章 这软饭可能有点硬

"Who is Elizabeth Mellon?"

Li Wei and Emma walked at the very back, entering the shop together.

"The name Elizabeth isn't rare, but Mellon is," Emma mused, giving Li Wei an example. "Carnegie Mellon University, ever heard of it?"

Li Wei nodded.

Carnegie Mellon University was a top-tier American university consistently ranked in the top 30, with its computer science and data science programs perennially ranked in the global top five.

"Her Mellon is that Mellon," Emma said softly. "Similarly, there is a bank on Wall Street called the Bank of New York Mellon, with over 20 trillion dollars in assets under management."

Mentioning this, Li Wei suddenly recalled what he had learned in history class: in 1929, the United States suffered the greatest economic crisis in the history of capitalism. At that time, American farms, in order to destroy "surplus" products, poured milk directly into the Mississippi River.

A nursery rhyme was popular in New York back then: "Mellon pulled the whistle, Hoover rang the bell. Wall Street gave the signal, and America went to hell!"

Her Mellon was that Mellon?!

"You want me to be a gigolo for her?" Li Wei widened his eyes. "Are you joking with me?"

Emma said somewhat sheepishly, "I only heard it from Mrs. Dolores after getting off work tonight. Besides, she's here to rent a necklace, not buy one. Kids from these wealthy families get money from trust funds every month. I originally thought she was a nouveau riche, but I didn't expect her to be a true old-money heir."

"This gigolo gig might be a bit tough; these kinds of young ladies are hard to handle," she added, worrying for him. "Oh, how are you going to win her over?"

"Well, what if I offend her?" Li Wei said casually. "I reckon you'll be able to see me downstream in the Mississippi River by tomorrow."

"Not necessarily," Emma patted him, laughing. "Fortune favors the bold."

The two followed behind, trailing far behind Elizabeth and Mrs. Dolores.

Arriving on the second floor, the lights in the shop were dimmed, and the doors and windows were tightly shut.

Elizabeth Mellon sat in the VIP room, with Mrs. Dolores keeping her company.

In front of her were five open safes, each containing a full set of luxurious jewelry set against black velvet.

"This ruby tiara comes from 19th-century Saint Petersburg; it is said to have been a collection of the Tsarina. And this set is a Victorian-era sapphire necklace..."

Mrs. Dolores's voice echoed through the quiet second floor, contrasting with Elizabeth's slightly furrowed brows.

"Mrs. Dolores, this is too difficult," she sighed. "You really know how to pick. Your taste is impeccable; every set has touched my heart."

In Li Wei's mind, a mission panel suddenly popped up, notifying him that he had received a task.

[You have received a mission: Princess's Dilemma]

[As a knight, assist Princess Elizabeth Mellon in making a choice]

[Mission Reward: 0.1 free attribute points]

Li Wei took a deep breath internally. Although the mission looked good, he was still a bit resistant and didn't want to accept it.

This Elizabeth Mellon seemed to have a terrifying background; he didn't think someone like her would be attracted to his face and physique.

Moreover, once he caught her attention, it might lead to some unnecessary trouble later on.

This was a real American old-money family, not some high school coach or a street thug.

He could do without 0.1 attribute points; he might get them in the next mission. There was no need to get himself into trouble. After all, he wasn't the bulletproof Captain America yet, nor was he Superman wearing his underwear on the outside; he couldn't withstand American-style "jujutsu."

As Li Wei thought about this, he quietly took a step back.

"The Mellon Art Gallery in Brooklyn is opening next month, right? What is the opening theme?" Mrs. Dolores asked. "Perhaps I can provide some references for you?"

"It's 'The Reshaping of Light and Shadow.' After all, I'm going to the Yale School of Art next year, and my grandfather gave me an art gallery to mess around with," Elizabeth's fingers casually picked up the ruby tiara, examining it carefully. "But I really can't choose. The money I get from the trust every month is limited; even for renting, I can only afford one set..."

"Then I recommend this sapphire set. Its blue purity isn't very high, but that will actually set off your bluer eyes..."

Mrs. Dolores was just about to offer further advice when a rush of footsteps approached.

A security guard who had been guarding the door appeared at the top of the stairs holding Mrs. Dolores's phone, waving it in front of her.

Mrs. Dolores frowned and locked eyes with him several times. Finding that he still refused to leave, she took a deep breath and looked at Elizabeth with a hint of apology in her eyes.

"My deepest apologies, Miss Elizabeth," she said. "Please allow me to take this call."

"I told you, just call me Liz," Elizabeth flashed a sweet smile. "Work comes first. I'll just sit here for a while."

"Then I will have my staff accompany you to make your selection. If there are any other clothes or jewelry you like, feel free to pick them," Mrs. Dolores said. "Consider it my apology for the sudden departure."

Her gaze flickered between Li Wei, Emma, and the other two sales assistants, then she said, "Li Wei is an excellent employee here; let him take my place."

Oh no!

Li Wei's heart skipped a beat.

Previously, when working part-time, many regular customers had fixed sales assistants, so the shop usually only handed the work to Li Wei when they encountered new customers.

And almost every time, he managed to persuade the other party to buy items and leave tips by using [Eloquent Speaker], which resulted in him becoming an "excellent employee" with strong work capabilities and a silver tongue in Mrs. Dolores's eyes.

With everyone's eyes converging on him, Li Wei had no choice but to bite the bullet and walk to Elizabeth's side, half-squatting so his line of sight was slightly lower than hers.

"You look about the same age as me, yet you've become an excellent employee?" Elizabeth revealed a sweet smile. "You're truly amazing. Have you graduated from high school?"

"I'm still in school, 12th grade," Li Wei said. "Over in Brooklyn."

However, whether she was uninterested, hadn't heard of it, or was just being polite, Elizabeth didn't continue the conversation.

She kept her attention on the necklaces in front of her, seemingly having narrowed it down to two sets out of the five, only struggling between these two.

Logically, blue would be more suitable for the status of an old-money heir like Elizabeth—low-key, introverted, and not flashy.

But for some reason, perhaps due to some mysterious intuition, Li Wei felt that Elizabeth might prefer the Tsarina's ruby tiara.

Finally, he attempted to activate [Eloquent Speaker], persuading her:

"Miss Elizabeth," Li Wei began, "I suggest you choose the ruby tiara."

Elizabeth had been unconsciously fiddling with the pendant on the sapphire necklace with her fingertips. Hearing this, she looked up, a hint of curiosity flashing in those crystal-clear blue eyes. "Oh? Mrs. Dolores just said that the sapphire better sets off my eye color. Why do you think the red is better?"

"Although I think you feel the blue suits you," Li Wei said, "I believe you personally might prefer the red, and what you like yourself is the most important thing."

After hearing Li Wei's words, Elizabeth was suddenly amused.

"Actually, I do think the blue would suit me better," she blinked eyes that were bluer than the sapphires. "But I really do like this ruby tiara more. Your intuition is very accurate."

She nodded at the driver behind her, who stepped forward, closed the safe containing the ruby tiara, and picked it up.

[Mission: Princess's Dilemma completed]

[Reward received: 0.1 attribute points]

"Hmm... sorry, no tip this time," she gave a gentle smile. "Consider it my rudeness."

"I'll remember you, Li Wei," she said. "I'll look for you when I come to buy things next time."