American Adventure: My Uncle is Don Quixote

Anya's face was slightly flushed, her eyes a little hazy.

She glanced at Elizabeth after hearing her words and nodded.

Elizabeth stood up, walked toward the end of the hallway, and closed the door.

'Did she go in the same direction both times?' Anya suddenly thought.

Her fingers twitched, but she let them rest. Today, she decided to pretend she didn't know anything.

Li Wei had won the Super Bowl today, and Elizabeth had arranged for Rihanna to support him at the halftime show. It had brought a great deal of prestige to both Li Wei and her.

Besides, some time had passed, and she had come to a better understanding of their three-way relationship.

She wasn't a fool, nor was she a petty person—alright, sometimes she was—but she was, above all, a person who understood what was appropriate.

Their relationship couldn't stay stuck like this forever. She was happy today, Li Wei was happy today, and Liz was happy too. She didn't mind making a small concession and pretending to be oblivious, especially since it was Li Wei's big day.

She closed her eyes again. The mix of two kinds of alcohol was making her a little tipsy.

...

The hallway was long.

Buildings in the 1920s Spanish Colonial style were fond of these long, narrow hallways, with a few sconces mounted on either wall.

The amber light scattered across the uneven plaster, casting a dim, intimate glow.

When Li Wei came out of the restroom, he happened to see Elizabeth at the other end of the hallway.

She was carrying two bottles of liquor, her bare feet padding softly on the spotless oak floor.

The two met in the middle of the hallway.

"What did you get?" Li Wei asked casually.

"A bottle of white wine and a bottle of vodka." Elizabeth jiggled the bottles in her hand. "We finished the last one, and I was worried it wouldn't be enough."

"You haven't been drinking much yourself," Li Wei said. "I drank most of it."

"I can't hold my liquor." Elizabeth smiled, a rare, flirtatious note in her voice. "I'm afraid I'll say something silly if I drink too much."

She started to turn sideways to brush past him, but then she let out a small cry of surprise and stumbled right into Li Wei's arms—whether because she was unsteady from the drinks or because she stepped on something with her bare foot, he couldn't tell.

Li Wei could feel her body tense instinctively for a moment before she relaxed, half-resisting and half-yielding as she sagged against him.

Her soft bust pressed firmly against his chest through the thin fabric of her clothes. When Li Wei glanced down, he could see a wide expanse of pale skin straining against her neckline.

The hallway was silent.

Li Wei was keenly aware of the soft warmth of her body against his. The sensation was followed by the scent of her expensive perfume and her unique girlish fragrance, mingled with a hint of Pinot Noir.

"Oops," Elizabeth said.

She tilted her head up slightly, her breathing a little ragged, the warm air hitting Li Wei's chin.

Her large, limpid blue eyes shimmered in the dim light, filled with a mixture of shyness, curiosity, and unconcealed anticipation.

Li Wei stared into her eyes, and Elizabeth met his gaze without hesitation.

Li Wei could feel her heart racing through her soft chest.

She made no move to pull away.

Without a word, Li Wei reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

Elizabeth felt as if a branding iron was pressed against her waist, the heat making her dizzy and her legs weak.

Li Wei reached out with his left hand, gently took the two bottles from her, and placed them on a nearby shelf against the wall.

Elizabeth's hands were now free, and she subconsciously wrapped them around Li Wei's waist.

'So this is what a man's waist feels like. Firm, with a hint of softness.'

Such a thought popped into her head out of nowhere.

Before a second thought could form, she subconsciously hugged Li Wei tighter, eagerly waiting for him to kiss her lips.

At that moment, Elizabeth's mind went completely blank.

She had replayed this scene in her mind more than once—on those late nights alone in her Brooklyn gallery, at that moment in the Long Island Manor on Christmas. Countless times, she had wondered how she would react if Li Wei actually kissed her.

She had really thought about it, she swore. She had even secretly read articles and watched videos to learn so-called kissing techniques: what angle, what pressure, how her lips should move, how her tongue should coordinate.

But she was like a student who had crammed answers all night, only to enter the exam hall, look at the test paper, and find that her brain was so muddled from studying that she couldn't remember a single thing.

She didn't know how to breathe.

She didn't know where to put her hands.

Her lips were stiff and wouldn't move. She didn't even know if she should keep her teeth clenched or parted.

Her first thought was about the faint, indescribable scent on him. The moment she smelled it, she felt a sense of relaxation, of security, as if her entire being was filled with energy.

Her second thought was, 'Oh god, I must be completely awful at this.'

She didn't know when, but her hands had clenched his collar, holding on for dear life so he couldn't pull away.

All her theoretical knowledge vanished. All she could do was instinctively press herself deeper into his embrace, her carefully planned seduction dissolving into a clumsy, demanding act punctuated by a slight shiver.

Elizabeth didn't know how long it lasted—maybe a few seconds, but she hoped it was a lifetime.

Because she only knew that when Li Wei's lips left hers, there was only one thought in her mind:

'Again.'

She stared into Li Wei's dark eyes, reached out, and gave his chest a gentle push, as if afraid of hurting him.

"Anya's still waiting," she said, her voice a little hoarse. "You know about Anya and me."

It was a statement, not a question.

She didn't have to guess; she knew Li Wei must have found out what had happened with her and Anya. Otherwise, knowing his character as she did, she didn't believe he would have ever been so forward with her.

She had also been afraid—afraid that her feelings were one-sided. What if she was the only one in love, and Li Wei felt nothing for her?

Now, with that great weight lifted from her heart, with her dream finally a reality, she was filled with a secret joy that made her heart pound and left her reluctant to let the moment end.

She lowered her eyes, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curve upwards.

She took Li Wei's hand, feeling their fingertips slowly caress one another. Her own hand felt so small, so warm in his palm...

She suddenly let out a light laugh, then quickly came to her senses and pulled her hand back.

She bent down, picked up the two bottles from the shelf by the wall, and walked toward the end of the hallway.

'Did Anya tell him? Or did he guess it himself? Either way, it's good that he knows.'

Elizabeth touched her lips, pursing them with a mix of shyness and joy, and pushed open the door to the side room.

By the time Li Wei returned to the side room, Elizabeth had already placed the liquor on the table and refilled their glasses.

Anya took the glass, her gaze sweeping over Li Wei's and Elizabeth's faces, but she said nothing.

She occasionally observed Elizabeth's eyes and noticed she was deliberately avoiding her gaze, which further confirmed her suspicions.

Anya took a sip of her drink, but she couldn't taste a thing.

Another hour passed. By 3 a.m., Anya and Elizabeth were exhausted.

Elizabeth yawned, covering her mouth with the back of her hand. "It's too late. I'm going to bed."

She stood up unsteadily and pointed down the hall. "Your room is the first one on the left on the second floor. Mine is at the end of the hall on the right."

"Good night, Liz," Anya said, a bit dizzy.

Elizabeth waved and disappeared down the second-floor hallway.

After the sound of her footsteps faded, Anya pulled Li Wei upstairs and pushed open the bedroom door.

A large 2x2 meter bed was covered with clean white sheets. On the nightstand was an old-fashioned table lamp, and the curtains were made of thick, dark brown velvet.

Anya shut the door with a CLICK.

She didn't go to wash up or change her clothes. Instead, she sat directly on the edge of the bed, her legs swinging back and forth, looking at Li Wei who was standing by the door.

"Darling," she said.

"Hm?"

"You just kissed Liz in the hallway, didn't you," she said. "I saw how she was subconsciously avoiding my eyes after she came back."

Li Wei looked into Anya's grey-blue eyes. He knew there was no point in lying.

"Yes," he said.

Anya nodded and suddenly sighed. "It seems Liz told you," she said. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so bold today."

Li Wei didn't explain how he'd overheard Anya and Elizabeth's agreement. He was hiding in plain sight, letting both women assume the other had been the one to tell him.

Anya looked down at her fingers, twisting the corner of the bedsheet, then said:

"You're the Super Bowl MVP, you made history, you're a one-of-a-kind man," she said, her lips curling into a slight pout. "I'm in a good mood today, so I can't be bothered to hold it against her."

She stood up from the edge of the bed, walked to the wardrobe, and began to undress with her back to Li Wei.

"I was actually looking forward to tonight..." her voice was sullen. "But now that I think about what just happened, I'm suddenly not in the mood anymore."

She stripped off her clothes, revealing her smooth back and a stunning waist-to-hip ratio. Her firm, round bottom stretched her panties into a thong. She casually pulled a prepared nightgown from the wardrobe and slipped it on.

Then she slipped under the covers, turned her back to Li Wei, and curled herself into a ball.

"Time for bed," she said. "Good night."

Li Wei looked at the bulging ball under the covers and remained silent for a few seconds.

He knew Anya well. She said she "couldn't be bothered to hold it against her," but when a woman says that, it means she's doing exactly that—she just doesn't want to seem petty.

If Li Wei just went to sleep obediently at this point, Anya would definitely fly into a rage and deliberately make things difficult for him.

Li Wei took off his jacket and got into bed.

He pressed against her from behind, his left hand sliding in from her side, under the hem of her nightgown, his palm resting on the smooth skin of her lower abdomen.

Anya's body tensed instantly.

"What are you doing?" she said, her tone stiff, but she didn't move away.

Li Wei smiled silently, his lips pressing against the nape of her neck, his warm breath ghosting over her skin.

Anya shivered.

"I said I'm not in the mood," she scooted forward a little, her voice becoming thin and soft. "Can't you understand me..."

Li Wei's fingers began to slowly wander upwards from her lower abdomen.

Anya bit her lip.

"Li Wei..." Her voice started to change pitch, the end of her word unconsciously rising.

"I'm really not in the mood..."

And yet, her body leaned back, pressing her side against his.

Her mouth said no, but every inch of her body called her a liar.