Chapter 192: Chapter 123: Little Head Potion

"I’m only 45!" Don Quixote thundered. "Who are you calling an old man!"

...

This New Year’s Eve dinner was rather unconventional, but Li Wei was perfectly happy.

A steaming hot pot bubbled in the center of the table. The ingredients included A5 Wagyu sliced paper-thin (it’s too rich if cut any thicker), Alaskan king crab legs, and an assortment of vegetables that would cost two yuan a jin back in the Celestial Dynasty but went for thirty USD a pound here.

Li Wei watched Don Quixote and Susan sitting off to one side, his eyes gleaming with gossip.

But sweet, oblivious Lily seemed completely unaware. With a king crab leg in her left hand, she was awkwardly trying to use her chopsticks to pick up a piece of tofu skin from the broth.

Outside, snow swirled through the cold New York air; inside, there was only rising steam and the aroma of food.

The meal lasted nearly three hours. When Lily was too sleepy to stay awake any longer, Li Wei took her upstairs to bed.

"Li Wei," Lily hesitated, "is Susan going to be my new mom?"

Li Wei paused, then stroked her hair. "I don’t know," he said softly. "Do you want her to be?"

"I don’t know either," Lily said, shaking her head. "But I think Dad seems really happy when he’s with Susan. I just want him to be happy."

"You’re a good kid," Li Wei said, ruffling her hair. "Now, get some sleep."

After seeing Lily to her room, Li Wei glanced at the living room and then went to his own, leaving Don Quixote and Susan to themselves.

He thought he’d have to wait a few days for the latest scoop, but to his surprise, the very next day, Lily came running over and mysteriously whispered Don Quixote’s daytime itinerary into his ear.

"What?" Li Wei said in surprise. "He picked up Susan right after he got you from school?"

"Uh-huh!" Lily nodded. "They must have gone on a date. I had to take the school bus home this afternoon."

"Do you know where they went?" Li Wei asked. "Let’s go spy on them."

"I do!" Lily said loudly. "They went to Dyker Heights! I heard Dad say so!"

Li Wei wasn’t surprised they’d go to Dyker Heights. After all, Susan lived there, and they had spent a few months in the area themselves, even running a business there over Christmas. It was a natural spot for a date.

"Let’s go!" Li Wei called out. "Get your coat. We’ll go see where they are. There can’t be that many Cadillac Escalades over there; it should be easy to spot."

"Can I have ice cream, then?" Lily asked.

"No," Li Wei refused this time. "You just had hot pot last night. Ice cream on top of that will give you a stomachache."

Lily’s face fell.

"But," Li Wei added after a moment’s thought, "we can get a chocolate ball when we pass by Godiva. That should be fine."

The roar of an engine echoed on a Long Island highway as the Porsche 911 shot past like a silver-gray bolt of lightning.

Lily sat in the passenger seat, a Godiva chocolate ball in her mouth, mumbling directions.

"It’s right up ahead!!" she suddenly shouted. "I see it!"

Li Wei gently tapped the brakes, letting the Porsche coast. Sure enough, parked in front of a well-established bakery and cafe on the corner called "Tasty Pastry," he spotted the conspicuous black Cadillac Escalade.

"Found it," Li Wei said. He parked in an inconspicuous spot across the street. Instead of getting out, he pointed through the window. "Look over there."

Through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows, they could clearly see Don Quixote holding Susan’s hand at a table.

Watching Don Quixote, Li Wei thought he looked like a teenager experiencing his first love. He appeared to be passionately reciting something, while a blushing Susan listened, her eyes crinkling with a smile. She even took the initiative to place her other hand over his.

"Whoa," Lily said around her chocolate ball. "I knew it."

’He’s really taking this seriously. And it looks like it’s going well,’ Li Wei thought, rubbing his chin. ’They’re finally holding hands. Any longer and I think Aunt Susan would have died of anticipation.’

Seeing that the two were safe and enjoying each other’s company, Li Wei had no intention of going in and being a third wheel. He took Lily to buy some more dessert, and then they drove back.

...

Don Quixote didn’t get home in the Cadillac Escalade until almost ten that night. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Li Wei was sitting on the living room sofa, reading a book. Hearing the door, he spoke without looking up. "You’re back earlier than I thought. I figured you’d just spend the night in Dyker Heights, especially since you two seemed to be hitting it off so well at the cafe this afternoon."

Don Quixote froze in the middle of taking off his coat. He cleared his throat, a little embarrassed. "Ahem... you saw that?"

"Lily and I were just passing by," Li Wei said, closing his book and looking at Don Quixote with a knowing smirk. "So? How did it go? It’s obvious Aunt Susan is into you, and you’re clearly into her. Since the feeling’s mutual, why do you have a look on your face like you just swallowed a fly?"

Don Quixote walked over to the opposite sofa and slumped down like a deflated ball. He let out a deep sigh and rubbed his hands over his face.

"What’s wrong?" Li Wei frowned. "Did something happen?"

Suddenly, the mission panel popped up before his eyes again.

[You have encountered a new mission: The Sealed Knight]

[Years ago, while on an adventure, the Knight Don Quixote had a core of his power stolen by a wicked demon—]

Li Wei nearly did a spit-take, but his powerful muscle control allowed him to stop himself just in time.

[Afterward, years of arduous asceticism and his advancing age seem to have eroded his self-assurance. This has directly caused a loss of confidence in the face of love. Please help him get it back.]