Chapter 94: Chapter 78: A Cold, Rainy Halloween Night

On Saturday night, 66th Street was particularly quiet.

Li Wei and Anya walked side by side, heading west toward Central Park.

They reached Madison Avenue and stopped at the Dolores boutique. Peeking through the display window, they saw it was empty inside.

"I used to work part-time here every day," Li Wei said. "Back then, I had just arrived in New York and was living in a basement with my uncle. His money wasn’t nearly enough to support the two of us, so it was a good thing I found a job here."

"Then it’s no surprise you showed up at that charity gala," Anya said, glancing up at him. "And you must have met Elizabeth here, too."

"Yeah," Li Wei said. "I just come here less and less now. For one, I’ve been a bit busier lately. For another, spending one or two hours a day commuting for a part-time job is a real hassle for me."

"Mm..." Anya said. "It is a bit far from Bei Ling Ridge."

They walked along Fifth Avenue, through Central Park, from 66th Street to 72nd Street. Just as dusk was settling, Kaja slowly pulled up behind them in her car.

Li Wei had noticed her a while ago, driving slowly and trailing them from a distance.

She had disappeared for a little while when Anya went to the restroom, probably to get gas.

Anya glared at Auntie Kaja with some dissatisfaction. She had already imagined a whole romantic sequence playing out—they would walk all the way to the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she would pretend to be a little cold. Then, as a matter of course, Li Wei would take off his jacket and drape it over her, and she, just as naturally, would lean against him.

If the mood was right, the setting was perfect, and everything went off without a hitch, she might have even offered Li Wei her first kiss—she didn’t care at all whether he had money or not. After all, she had plenty of her own.

But now, Auntie Kaja had shattered her beautiful fantasy.

"Well, I’m heading off," she said. "I hear Halloween in New York is supposed to be really lively. It’s a shame that by Halloween, it’s already been snowing for a month in Moscow."

The Mercedes honked.

Anya stomped her foot and climbed into the car.

Watching Li Wei’s figure disappear into the distance in the rearview mirror, Anya looked resentfully at Kaja, who was driving.

"Auntie Kaja!" Her cheeks puffed up again. "I don’t think my father ever said I wasn’t allowed to date, did he?"

"Miss Anya, it is true that Mr. Sergey has placed no such restrictions on you," Kaja said, driving calmly. "However, as your governess, I must ensure your safety."

"What’s so dangerous about me dating him?" She was so angry she could grind her teeth to dust. "Don’t you know both his parents are dead?"

"I can’t guarantee that," Kaja said. "That’s just his side of the story. Besides, don’t you think it’s all a little too coincidental?"

"Where did he learn Russian? Why did he suddenly meet you at a charity gala? Why did he just happen to connect with you the very first time you attended such an event in New York?" she asked, one question after another. "He lives in Bei Ling Ridge, which used to be territory controlled by the Italians. Even in this bulletproof car, I was sweating bullets driving there today."

"Are you saying he was sent by the Italians to hit on me on purpose?" Anya huffed. "I don’t believe it."

"Believe it or not," Kaja said, glancing at her in the rearview mirror, "until I can confirm he’s clean, I will resolutely prevent you from dating."

"Su—"

Anya flew into a rage and was about to let fly a Russian curse, but one look from Kaja made her swallow the words back down.

Though they weren’t related by blood, in Anya’s heart, she saw Kaja, who had cared for her for over ten years, as a second mother. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Anya sulked for a while, feeling that Kaja’s reasons were completely far-fetched.

Li Wei stood in place, watching the car drive away. He glanced back at the path they had walked and couldn’t help but marvel, ’As expected of the fighting nation. She can walk that far even in high heels.’

He checked his phone. There were less than three weeks until Halloween—not a long time, but not a short one either.

...

「Three weeks later.」

New York winters were never known for being gentle. As Halloween approached, the streets that should have been filled with the orange glow of jack-o’-lanterns were suddenly met with a smattering of light rain.

Don Quixote had taken on the Halloween decoration project for Bei Ling Ridge. To earn his 40,000 USD profit, he was leading Li Wei, Jose, and a crew of other workers in setting up half-man-high inflatable skeletons and LED light strips along the roads.

As he stood on a ladder threading wires under the eaves, a few raindrops trickled down his neck and into his hoodie.

"It’s about to start raining for real," he said, looking up at the sky. "Let’s hurry up and finish so we can get some rest."

Li Wei and the others also saw the dark clouds in the sky and couldn’t help but pick up the pace. Finally, after two hours, they finished setting up all the light strips and decorations for the entire community.

Night fell, and the rain continued without stopping.

"A shame about the decorations. This rain isn’t going to stop anytime soon," Don Quixote said, standing at the door wrapped in an old wool sweater, holding a steaming cup of coffee. "In this weather, I’m afraid not many people will be out trick-or-treating."

Li Wei, shaking a protein shake in his hand, heard Don Quixote’s words and couldn’t help but agree.