America: I came here to study, not to show mercy.

Chapter 158: Personal Additions to the Comic
When the car reached the vicinity of Seton Hall University, Li Xiaoen readjusted and raised the roof, which finally reduced the attention from passersby and students.

Turning his head, he saw Amelia exhale a long breath, a smile playing on her lips, and he couldn't help but tease her.

"So, are you still wanting more?"

"no!"

Amelia quickly retorted, "I'm only doing this because I see you've finally put the canopy up, so we don't have to be stared at like monkeys in a zoo anymore, okay?"

"Okay, let's leave it at that."

Li Xiaoen nodded indifferently, "Also, just so you know, your singing on the way was too soft and didn't meet my requirements, so it doesn't count."

"It was clearly you who sang loudly, drowning out my voice!"

Amelia's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she quickly explained, "I think you did it on purpose."

With a slight frown, she was about to question him when she saw the young man slow down and lower the car window at the entrance of Seton Hall University.

"Jereen, who are you waiting for?"

Looking towards the parking lot entrance, where Jalin stood craning her neck and gazing into the distance, Li Xiaoen asked a question.

Today she wore a cropped T-shirt with a waist tie and denim shorts, revealing large areas of her tanned skin and showcasing her slender and hot figure, which perfectly matched her image as a cheerleader from American University.

"Sean?"

Looking down, Jaelin exclaimed in surprise, staring in astonishment at the young man and the perfectly sleek, brand-new Maserati he was riding in. "I've been waiting for you! Did you rent a car specifically to come here today?"

"..."

"Pfft..."

Before Li Xiaoen could speak, Amelia, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but laugh out loud. Jelline bent down and only then noticed her position.

Good morning, Amelia.

Good morning, Jaelin.

Amelia smiled and nodded, her gaze involuntarily glancing at Sean Lee. "See, I'm not the only one who thinks this is rented, am I?"

"Get in the car first."

Li Xiaoen reluctantly gestured to Jelline to get out of the back seat, and only after she curiously sat down did he start the car again and drive towards the parking lot.

"Jaelin, do you know?"

As Jaelin looked around curiously in the back seat, Sean Lee said leisurely while driving, "I bought this car because I wanted to see you in a better and more outstanding state."

Why does this sound so familiar?

Turning her gaze away from the car window, Amelia cast a disdainful look at the young man beside her.

After parking his car, Li Xiaoen walked towards the former examination hall, where he unexpectedly ran into George, a Japanese-American webcomic artist, in front of the slightly old building.

"I was planning to come and have a chat with you, but I didn't expect you to still be here today."

Li Xiaoen walked over with a smile and greeted him, "Out looking for inspiration again?"

"No, I heard that today is the school's math competition finals, and I figured you'd be coming, so I'm waiting here."

George chuckled and nodded, his thin, sweaty clothes clinging tightly to his chubby body.

By Chinese standards, he would be considered obese, but by American standards, he would be described as having a large frame, which falls within the category of a normal body type.

"Looking at what's hanging around your neck, it doesn't seem like it."

Li Xiaoen lowered his gaze, gestured to the camera in the other person's hand, and couldn't help but tease, "Let's go inside and talk."

"Hey, Sean..."

George paused for a moment, about to call out, but Sean Lee had already taken the lead and walked ahead. After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to follow.

Upon entering the building, the whistling air conditioning seemed to divide the indoor and outdoor worlds into two distinct realms. Feeling the faint coolness enveloping his skin, Li Xiaoen looked around and couldn't help but frown.

The scene of crowds in the lobby on the first floor was as expected. After all, in addition to the individual finals, the team competition was also being held today. But to his surprise, a large area on one side of the wall was occupied by a group of tall young men wearing basketball jerseys and shorts, as well as several girls dressed in hot clothes and dressed in flamboyant attire.

"Sean..."

George followed behind and called out softly.

Did he still get caught up in this kind of thing?
Noticing the many gazes directed at him from the crowd, Li Xiaoen's expression turned strange—sure enough, Princeton had protected him too well; he had witnessed some realities at Seton Hall University.

"Let's go over there and talk."

Looking at George, whose head was already hanging low, Sean Lee gestured in another direction.

"You waited at the door all this time, is there something you wanted to tell me?"

Lee Shawn called out to George, who kept glancing in the direction of the group, and asked.

"Oh……"

Upon hearing this, George quickly turned around, organizing his thoughts, "Sean, I don't know if you've seen the comics I posted online, but I can tell you they're incredibly popular. The new comics have already topped the sales charts, and many people are giving me tips every day."

As he spoke, his small eyes, hidden beneath his black-rimmed glasses, gleamed with excitement.

I've only seen it a couple of times.

Sean Lee nodded. He was too busy. If the girl hadn't brought it up with him during the time he spent with Sophie, he might not have remembered the comics until he saw George again. "You draw pretty well."

"Ha ha……"

George smiled shyly, raising his hand to scratch the back of his head. "I know, Sean, I only achieved this success because of your online fans. Quite a few people have even given me tips and asked for more of your storyline."

"So, the reason I came to see you today is to ask for your bank card number so I can transfer half of my royalties to you."

When it came to serious matters, George's expression turned solemn.

"Half? That much?"

Sean Lee raised an eyebrow in surprise. You see, from beginning to end, apart from the villain's features resembling his own and helping George attract some of his online fans, he hadn't done anything for the comic—the only thing he did was mention a condition to George, asking him to mention the protagonist's time travel, which was all he did.

Seeing that the other party brought it up, he couldn't very well say whether the villain in the comic was like him.

Can you really earn so much just by showing your face? No wonder, in China, traffic stars can thrive.

He sighed inwardly, but shook his head at George's solemn expression.

"what happened?"

After a moment of surprise, George quickly explained, "I draw comics very quickly, I can update a chapter every two or three days, and 50% of the royalties is not a small amount each month. This month I can transfer at least six thousand dollars to you, and there can be more later."

After saying that, he hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Is it too little? I can transfer 60% to you."

"No, I don't intend to ask you to transfer any money. Just accept all the royalties from the comics."

Sean Lee shook his head and offered a word of comfort. As George's face went blank and shock crept into his eyes, he then said with a leisurely smile, "However, in exchange, I want your comic to be adjusted, or rather, have some things added to it."

"what?"

George couldn't help but ask, his heart filled with excitement.

If he could establish himself in the comic book industry and send his earnings to his parents, he might not have to pursue a career in medicine, which he already disliked.

Labor costs are high in the United States, and the labor and services for highly educated professionals are even more exorbitantly expensive, so the salaries of related professionals are naturally very high—which is why Chinese parents hope their children will study law or medicine.

"I hope that the villain in the comic based on me can have more plot development. He can't die, and he can't suffer a defeat."

Sean Lee looked at George and gave a simple answer.

“Of course, I set this strategy after you became an instant hit right after the comic was released.” George nodded quickly.

"besides……"

Li Xiaoen smiled and nodded, then said, "Based on this, I hope you can add more Chinese elements to that character and simply mark them."

"..."

Upon hearing this, George froze on the spot.

After pondering for a long time, he finally nodded in agreement, and Li Xiaoen was finally relieved.

As he spent more time with those young ladies, he increasingly felt that money was the cheapest reward. If he could exchange it for something more valuable, such as connections, friendships, or even rare opportunities to export Chinese culture, that would undoubtedly be much better.

Admittedly, given George's current comic book development stage, the scope of his work is very limited, but it is at least some output. However, since he is too embarrassed to ask for money after showing his face, he might as well exchange it for a contribution in this area.

Even more so, if he achieves great success in the future, he might be able to further promote Chinese culture internationally in other fields.

"You know about the Chinese factor, right? You can look it up online, or go to Chinatown and ask some older people."

With the matter settled, Li Xiaoen's tone became relaxed and casual, "Be careful not to include Westernized Chinese culture in the painting."

He'd had enough of the fact that people here considered General Tso's Chicken and Li Hongzhang Chop Suey to be authentic Chinese cuisine.

"If you're unsure about anything, you can ask me."

"OK, all right."

Having made his decision, George stopped hesitating and nodded solemnly. "Then in the next chapter, I'll write about you being beaten by the protagonist and falling off a cliff, where you obtain a kung fu manual?"

"How about we encounter a panda inside the cave?"

Li Xiaoen was both amused and exasperated, noting that among Chinese cultural elements in the international community today, kung fu and pandas are the most representative.

"You could go a little deeper and draw something profound, something that few people know about. Wouldn't it be more eye-catching to readers if you drew it well?"

Li Xiaoen guided him gently, "For example, the Chinese opera face-changing, the villain... well, I, by mastering the ability to change the color of the mask, gain different abilities..."

As Li Xiaoen murmured, George listened intently, first nodding seriously, then slowly widening his eyes.

On the other side, two girls stood not far away, their gazes drifting towards the two people who were chatting animatedly. They exchanged a glance and shook their heads and sighed in unison.

She had intended to meet with Sean Lee and have a good chat, but seeing the young man chatting enthusiastically with an Asian boy instead, Jelline sighed helplessly. Noticing Amelia's gaze, she couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

“Jaelin, actually, what Sean said to you in the car just now, he also said to me not long ago.”

Amelia carefully chose her words as she spoke.

"I guessed that, too."

Jelline didn't seem surprised. She crossed her arms, nodded, and gave a meaningful smile. "The fact that he talks to me like that proves he wants to make me happy, so I'm very happy."

Looking up at Jaelin, whose gaze was fixed on the young man not far away, Amelia's eyes were complicated: "Jaelin, you may not know, but Sean already has two or three pretty girls at school with whom he is very close and often spends time together. Moreover, they are all from very wealthy families."

"That luxury car, they gave it to Sean?" Jaelin's eyes widened upon hearing this, and she turned her head to look at him.

"This...it shouldn't be, right?"

Amelia frowned slightly and pondered, "If it really was given to him by those girls, he probably wouldn't say that he bought it especially for us."

Jelline nodded in agreement, and the two exchanged a glance, showing a tacit understanding in this regard.

"We're just good friends, it doesn't matter if we're boyfriend and girlfriend."

Jaelin smiled frankly and waved her hand, extremely carefree, "I'm not married yet, so it's not like I don't have a chance."

Upon hearing this, Amelia froze on the spot, only to see Jaelin lean down and look directly into her eyes, smiling, "Amelia, do you look disappointed?"

"..."

"no!"

Realizing what she'd done, Amelia rolled her eyes and turned away, flatly denying it. "I'm reminding you, you're still getting close to that jerk. I can't interfere with what you do, so why should I be disappointed?"

"Okay, I guess I misunderstood."

Without hesitation, Jaelin smiled and nodded, taking out her phone. "Amelia, let's exchange contact information. We can chat sometime..."

It wasn't until Professor Alaric arrived that Li Xiaoen and the others snapped out of their daze. Time was running out, so they hurried toward the examination hall.

The final round of the math competition only selects the top ten from the regular rounds, so all candidates take the exam in one classroom, facing the gaze of three teachers.

"Sean, are you confident this time?"

As soon as Li Xiaoen sat down in the first seat, a middle-aged man with gray hair next to him greeted him with a smile, "I heard from Alaric that you're aiming for first place."

"Yes, Professor."

Although he didn't recognize the man, he guessed he was Professor Alaric's friend, and Sean Lee nodded in response.

"Ha ha……"

The man laughed twice and nodded repeatedly. "The questions in this exam are very difficult. I'm looking forward to your test paper."

The questions are difficult, but aren't they difficult for everyone?
Li Xiaoen thought to himself, the test papers had already been handed out. He glanced at them once, picked up his pen, and plunged into the test.

[Halo Effect in the Beginner Learning Field: Unlocked]

Perhaps his thinking had been enhanced. After completing the entire test paper, Li Xiaoen looked up and noticed that the man from before had been staring at him. He looked surprised and, instead of handing in his paper early to stand out, he lowered his head and began to slowly check his answers to each question.

Time flew by, and when Li Xiaoen came out of the examination room and went to the lobby on the first floor, he noticed that everyone's eyes were looking in one direction.

Curiosity followed his gaze, and he saw that the group of basketball players had surrounded George against the wall. He narrowed his eyes and walked over.

"What happened?"

Upon reaching George's side, Sean Lee glanced at the group of people gathered around him.

There were several familiar faces, and the one in the lead happened to be the tall boy who had asked him to play basketball solo on his first visit.

"Sean, let's talk outside."

George glanced at the crowd, then quickly lowered his gaze and tugged at Sean Lee's arm.

"..."

Looking left and right at George and the tall boy, Li Xiaoen frowned slightly when he saw the boy looking at him with a hint of mockery in his eyes. He steadied himself and did not move an inch as George pulled him.

George turned around in surprise, and the laughter from the crowd subsided, the atmosphere in the corner instantly freezing.

"Why are you leaving? It's cool in here. Aren't you comfortable staying here?"

Facing the gazes of everyone, Sean Lee remained calm and asked George.

"The outside world is fine too, I can accept it."

George glanced sideways at the crowd whose smiles were gradually fading, his expression conflicted, and forced a smile. "Sean, let's go outside and talk. You're not hot, are you?"

"No, I like being in there, and I'm sure you like being in there too."

Li Xiaoen murmured, turning around to look at the basketball team spread out in a fan shape opposite him, "I really want to know, what made you make such a choice against your will?"

"racism?"

Upon hearing this, George's troubled expression suddenly froze, and even the group of people who had gathered around him froze in their tracks.

Racial discrimination is a taboo subject in American society, which strives for political correctness. It is less of a problem in states in the Midwest with a large white redneck population, but it is undoubtedly a powerful sword in the developed urban clusters in the East and West and the surrounding areas.

"It's because his body odor is too strong and smelly that it bothers us."

As expected, the boy in the lead offered an explanation, weighing the basketball in one hand, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Lack of exercise makes fat people sweat more easily. It's one thing if you don't know this, but you're standing so close to him, don't you smell the sweat on him?"

"Really? I do smell a foul odor."

Li Xiaoen raised an eyebrow, glanced at George, and immediately turned her gaze back to the man in front of her, saying in a leisurely voice, "But it doesn't smell like body odor to me. On the contrary, the deodorant is too strong and a bit pungent."

As soon as he uttered those words, the faces of the group of people in front of him suddenly darkened.

"How dare you, an Asian, discriminate against us?"

The boy in the lead gave an incredulous, cold laugh.

Is it discrimination?

Li Xiaoen remained calm throughout, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and retorted, "Wasn't I explaining why you said the smell was too strong?"

In the United States, a diverse immigrant nation, this is a fact that almost no one can deny—European and African American groups tend to have stronger body odor, while Asians are practically odorless, which is why deodorants have always sold very well in this country.

In particular, Li Xiaoen then remembered that none of the young ladies he had met, or even Henry, whom he had only met twice, or Auguste, the manor's butler, possessed this quality—which suggests that a wealthy and high-quality lifestyle also has a significant impact.

It's somewhat unbelievable that if a wealthy family has occupied the top of American society for generations, their descendants still haven't improved this troublesome problem.

"Are you provoking me?"

Facing Li Xiaoen's calm gaze, the man's eyes gradually narrowed, and he took a few steps forward, standing in front of Li Xiaoen.

"No, it's a counterattack."

Li Xiaoen spoke, meeting the other person's gaze with composure.

“Sean, Emmon…”

Just then, Jelline's voice came from the doorway. She quickly stepped between them, pushed the two apart, and said, "What happened? Let's talk it out and clear up the misunderstanding."

He said that white people have a strong body odor!

Eamon looked at Jaelin and answered in a deep voice.

"Sean was just retaliating against your complaints about the strong odor, but you are actually bullying your classmates at school."

Before Li Xiaoen could speak, another voice came from behind him. It was Amelia's. He turned around and noticed that the girl had been standing behind him at some point.

Upon hearing this, Jaelin immediately realized what was happening, and her gaze toward Eamon became impatient.

"Do you still choose to believe them?"

Noticing that Jelline's position was clearly biased towards Sean Lee, Eamon's face instantly turned ugly. Just as he was about to step forward, a thunderous voice suddenly came from inside the hall, immediately attracting the attention of everyone in the hall.

"What are you doing?!"

The tense atmosphere was interrupted when Li Xiaoen turned around and saw the middle-aged man who had greeted him in the examination room earlier.

The man strode over, glancing impatiently at Eamon.

"Professor Dorian..."

Emmon lowered his head helplessly and greeted them.

Ignoring the other person, Dorian turned to Sean Lee, a smile immediately spreading across his face. "Sean, you got a perfect score on this exam!"

"Are the results out so quickly?"

Li Xiaoen was not surprised by the score, but he was quite surprised by the speed at which the papers were graded.

"After the exam, we'll grade your paper first and foremost."

Dorian smiled and nodded. "There were only ten papers. They should be almost finished grading by now. Go on, you should go to the awards ceremony."

"Okay, thank you, Professor Dorian."

Li Xiaoen nodded, and seeing that Alaric was already inside waving to him with a smile, he stopped wasting time arguing with him and walked into the hall.

Just before catching up, Dorian took a deep breath, gave Amon a warning glance, and whispered sternly, "Other universities come to participate in the academic competition, and you bring your basketball team to show off? Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"

Having said that, he shook his head impatiently before following Li Xiaoen's steps...

The award ceremony was, needless to say, similar to what high schools in China usually do. The only difference was that Professor Alaric, beaming with joy, introduced his program to everyone.

When they finally came out, it was already noon. Sean Lee breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye to Professor Alaric, and then went to the parking lot with Amelia, seeing Jaelin off.

As they passed through a passageway, a Mercedes suddenly pulled up in front of them with a screeching sound. The window rolled down, revealing Eamon in the driver's seat.

"You did very well on the exam. No wonder you're an Asian nerd."

He quipped, "What's up? Looking for your beat-up car?"

"..."

Amelia and Jaelin exchanged a glance, both seeing the helplessness in each other's eyes.

They're trying to get back at each other again by switching to this topic. Are young people in America all this bored?
Li Xiaoen thought to himself, but didn't say anything. He took out his keys and woke up his Maserati across the aisle, which made the other car open its eyes wide as if waking from a dream.

"impossible!"

"Last time you were driving a beat-up Toyota, and now you're driving a Maserati? If you're going to rent a car to show off, at least make sure it's authentic, okay?"

As he watched Li Xiaoen get into that brand-new, obviously more luxurious Mercedes-Benz, Eamon frowned and questioned him.

"Think whatever you want. Oh, and by the way, you can also question my math competition results."

After starting the car and driving it out of the garage, Li Xiaoen glanced at it leisurely with amusement before driving off towards the school gate.

(End of this chapter)